Hearts
by Katraa
Summary: and it was all they could take for things to somehow work out in the end. it was really a flip of the coin if they did or not...because really, love is based on luck. [riku x sora] [oneshot collection]
1. Salty Lips

_All right, I caved! I am joining in on the 100 drabble challenge. Most of these ideas just randomly came to me or have been subliminally influenced by other things in life or such. I hope you like these drabbles and such. This first one is dedicated to Axenator, just because I love her so much and yeah. Belluga for sure!

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_

**001**

_**S**_alty **_L_**ips

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There they sat. Sitting in the back row, two seats in to the left, second cinema. Sora had taken the liberty of picking the seat closest to the wall, so only his best friend would be beside him. One could say that Sora didn't like to sit next to strangers, but it really was that he liked his personal space.

Regardless, there the spiky-brunette sat, hand fully engulfed in a bag of steamy and buttery popcorn and a frozen latté. Lightly-tanned cheek was shrouded with darkness due to the absence of light in the theater. Beside him was his best friend, namely Riku. The silver-haired teen was wearing a familiar black jacket with jeans, and had his arms folded to his chest. It was easy to see that Riku was quite the rebel when it came to theater treats, never to be tempted by the over-priced delicacies.

They had come here on a Friday night to watch the newest movie. The movie just so happened to be one of those sappy romantic movies. It was not Riku's choice, but more so his friends. It seemed that Sora was quite the hopeless romantic. Riku really could not blame his younger friend, finding love that was similar to the love in the movies was nearly impossible, so one could only dream.

"Sora," Riku had interrupted with a slight jab of the shoulder. Sora had not reacted, only shoveling more mouthfuls of popcorn into his mouth. _Crunch, crunch, crunch._

"_Sora_." Riku repeated, a bit louder. "Can I have some of your popcorn?" It wasn't really a question, but more of a demand. Perhaps eating something sweet could get other things off of Riku's troubled mind. Besides he had no real interest in Sora's latté, he never really did like coffee.

No response came from Sora. Frowning, Riku had tried to reach his hand over to snatch some, but found it being swatted away. Since when did Sora become so possessive? Oh, that was right, this was popcorn. Sora usually never shared when it came to high sugary or salty objects.

The movie was drawing near the end, and Riku already knew exactly what was going to happen before it did. The two main characters would confess their love, embrace, and it would be happily ever after. Of course, Riku had always wondered when his happy ever after would come. A sigh passed his lips as he turned his emerald hued gaze over to Sora. How did he find such pleasure in these things?

"Sora-" Riku had began but was quickly shushed by Sora, who's deep blue eyes were glued to the flashing screen. Frown growing on Riku's face, his gaze darted from the screen and then to his friend.

The movie had ended just how Riku expected. The main characters had embraced lovingly, draping each other's arms around each other, and lived happily ever after. But for Riku, his 'movie' had ended quite similar. Lips had locked tightly upon sweet and yet salty, smaller lips.

The popcorn had fallen from tanned hands onto the ground, leaving Sora to gently extend his arms around his best friend's neck, quite lovingly. Sora tasted exactly like Riku had imagined him. Salty, sweet, and with a side of sexy-boy cuteness.

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	2. Deaf Confessions

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**002**

**_D_**eaf **_C_**onfessions

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He had rehearsed it repeatedly, countless times, in his mind. He would go up to that spiky brunette who had somehow captured his heart away from the darkness, take his small hands within his owns, and then confess. Let the words spill from his mouth like the water came down the waterfall. It was not so hard in his thoughts. He would tell the other how much he meant to him, tell him that everything he had done was for him, and tell him he risked eternal darkness to save him.

Riku had even rehearsed it down to the exact order he would go through. As stated, he would take Sora's hands within his own and ask him to speak to him at the Paopu tree. By that point, his cheeks should be a slight noticeable shade of red. Next, he would ask Sora a few normal questions like "How are you?" or "How was your day?" and go from there. Then he would slip in a question. "When you look at me, what do you see?"

Quite honestly, he did not know what the other would say. He had guessed something cheesy but sincere. Well, regardless of fears, today was the day.

Riku had gone along with the plan so far. He figured he would find Sora down by the waterfall, where he usually was nowadays, dipping his slender legs into the cooling water. There he would let his emerald eyes be soaked in the awe that was his best friend and how strong his bond towards him had grown.

But today was different. Sora was not there at all. If Riku would have had any common sense, he surely would have decided upon another day. However, Riku was tired or waiting, tired of skipping around the subject for over three years. He needed to let the other know exactly what was on his mind, even if he was not going to get a joyful response.

Riku soon had hoisted himself up onto the small piece of land that connected the shack with the small island where he and Sora used to have petty sword-fights. Every step he took against the wooden planks beneath his feet echoed, as if they were the drums of some dramatic music showing that he was getting closer, and closer, and closer.

And... closer?

Riku really had not expected colliding with Sora who seemed to be indulged with his MP3 player. Amazingly, the silver-haired male had caught himself before he could fall off the small bridge. Emerald eyes shot down to meet blue eyes that filled with a non-verbal apology.

A slender finger dances across the electronic device, seemingly pausing it. "I'm sorry, Riku!" Sora spoke at once, looking sheepishly at his best friend.

Riku gave a shrug to this as he glanced towards the tree. "I was just about to watch the sunset, want to come with?" Riku questioned with such ease. All right, so it had not been the hand in hand approach he had planned. Now that he thought about it, it did seem rather cliché.

Sora nodded, pressing the play button as they walked back across the bridge to the tree. Sora sat down against the trunk of it as Riku took the seat beside his friend. The sunset was marvelous. A display of gorgeous colors reflecting onto the sea, as the ocean breeze rolled in, tickling Riku's nose.

"Hey Sora," Riku began, glancing downward as he spoke. "W-when you look at me, what do you see?" So he was right, his face had turned a shade of red. However, it was a lot redder than he would have imagined it to be. Still, there was no going back now, and he eagerly awaited his friend's response.

One minute.. two minute.. three... "_Sora_?" Riku rose his glance up and noticed Sora's focus upon the sunset, music gently rumbling in his ears. "Sora." Riku spoke again, this time snapping his fingers together in front of the other's face.

"Huh, what? Sorry," Sora answered with a meek smile. "What were you saying?"

"Er, nothing. Nothing important." Riku answered and glanced away, folding his arms to his chest. He looked back over at Sora, figuring the boy had already begun to listen to his music once more. A sigh passed Riku's lips as he felt his cheeks turn a darker red.

"I'm trying to confess that I _like_ you, Sora. Really, _really_ like you. I mean, more than anything in the world. _And_ I know it's wrong, and I know you probably don't feel the same, and you probably will never speak to me again. But I _love you Sora_, and all you _can_ do is listen to your music and make this harder for me. I'll _never_ be able to tell you this.." Riku sighed miserably.

Unknown to Riku, Sora had not pressed play at all, and had heard every word the other had said. And unknown to Riku, Sora had been planning the exact same speech. And unknown to Riku until now, Sora had been leaning closer until their lips finally met.

Lesson? Love does not always go according to plan, but its better when it does not.


	3. Games

_This is called Games. Inspired …. By dinner and sleeping. Yup …I haven't updated this for awhile, and this half came to me in dinner, half came while I was sleeping when I shouldn't have been. Anwyay, this is dedicated to all my reviewers, and all my friends. I hope you like this sweetness, drabble/oneshot. Leave a review, please._

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003  
_**Games

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**_

Baseball, in all its glory and fame, had always been Sora Kayaki's _favorite_ sport. Even though he was incredibly athletically challenged, and never did score any runs for his high school gym classes' teams; he loved baseball. He wasn't sure why he loved it, he figured it was just one of those things that all men did. He saw enough guys at the stadium, shouting at the team, bearing foam fingers and baseball caps. Those, as Sora called them, were the fanatics. He was only a mere spectator.

He even remembered his first game. It was with his father, and his best friend. His father, Anayo, had brought him here on the weekend for a reward for having good grades (and a creeping suspicion about Sora's sexuality, no doubt. What kid went around kissing his best friend on the cheek daily, and blushed afterwards?! Or perhaps it was just Sora's way of being friendly. Either way, Anayo digressed).

Sora had clung to Riku mercifully on their first trip here, weaving in and out of the crowd with the taller teen as they followed his father. Sora was ten, and Riku was, respectably, eleven.

Anayo had shown the pair of pre-teen's to their seats, and left to order from drinks, fried dough, and the usual things you would order. That day, Sora consumed more fatty foods than he had /ever/ fathomed, and gotten Riku annoyed with him to the point of no return. Cotton candy in your /perfect/, beautiful hair can tick anyone off, was what Riku told Sora in way of explanation. But Sora didn't mind Riku's little snap at him, due to the fact that later on he had caught his first ball during the last inning.

Riku had been /oh so/ jealous.

So today, just like he did every April, Sora dragged his best to the ball game. Of course, Riku was as dashing and drop dead /gorgeous/ as ever, being finally twenty. Sora, well, was just as skinny, frail looking, optimistic, and dense as ever, even if he was nineteen and attending his first year of college.

Some things never changed.

Regardless, Sora swung his body into the seat. Second row, left field. Now this was what he called a great seat. Blue eyes flashed happily over to his taller friend who was still standing, rubbing his temples as if something was wrong. "Riku?" Sora dared, arching an eyebrow and blinking curiously.

"I'm going to get a soda or something. I'm parched." Riku grumbled towards Sora before hiking back up the stadium stairs, hands buried deep in his pockets.

"He should have done that earlier." Sora pouted once Riku had left.

The brunette's stomach grumbled, on cue, the moment he had gotten comfortable in his seat. Sora bit his bottom lip in attempt to silence the sound, which worked to no avail. Eyes flashed around, looking for the usually conveniently placed venders walking about, selling over-priced treats to anyone who was too lazy to get up. Namely him.

Sora's eyes flashed to a lank red-haired vender a few rows up. A grin plastered itself on Sora's unknowing face as his right hand shot up, beckoning the man over gleefully. Poor, naïve, dense, little Sora.

The red-haired male's eyes met Sora's as he progressed over. "Do I know you?" Was the first thing that spilled from the taller man's refined lips. He wore all black, which only accentuated his vibrant cat-like, green eyes.

"I don't…" Sora began but blinked when he realized who the man was. "Axel?" He dared.

"…Sora." He returned with a devilish smirk, setting his tray on a vacant seat only to sit down beside the spiky brunette. Sora recoiled a bit, squirming away from the intimidating man beside him.

An arm reached out from Axel's side, slipping around Sora's shoulders a bit too friendly. "What can I get for you, sweetheart?" He cooed into the brunette's ear, purposely pushing his face too close to Sora's.

"N-nothing." Sora answered in a small 'eep' sort of noise, his appetite completely disintegrated.

"Nothing?" Axel echoed, fingers splaying along Sora's boney shoulders.

"Nothing." Sora clarified, biting his bottom lip, his body being as tense as possible. "You can go back to work…" Sora trailed off nervously.

"You're cute." Came the compliment out of nowhere from Axel, tugging the boy closer to him.

"…" Sora eyed him, shaking his head. "I'm not." He gulped before continuing. "And I don't appreciate … you coming onto me after you broke my brother's heart."

"Kid." Axel laughed coldly, rolling his eyes, "You can only break someone's heart if you sleep with them. I, on the contrary, have never, and will never sleep with that blonde boy. Roxas. It was just a fling." Axel informed.

"How can you say that?" Sora splattered, eye's widening as he shook his head in fury. "Roxas was really devastated!"

"Eh." Axel shrugged, "Love sucks." His fingers pulled the other closer once again, so Sora's side was jammed against the armrest separating them. "Now, how about a date tomorrow night?"

"I…" Perfect timing. Savior Riku to the rescue. "Have a boyfriend." Sora declared incredibly loudly as Riku walked down the row, arching an eyebrow at Axel and his best friend. Blue eyes met obviously confused aquamarine ones of Riku's, trying to explain. Riku's face completely paled.

"Really?" Axel arose from his seat, allowing Riku to sit down. He eyed the pair suspiciously. "You two don't _seem_ like a couple." Axel noted, hands shoving themselves onto his hips as he exchanged looks from the bewildered expression on Riku's face, to the proud one on Sora's. Peculiar.

"Y-yes. We're dating." Sora slurred his words, heart pounding loudly. _Please don't get mad, Riku …_

"Don't buy it." Axel teased, arm reaching out to jab Sora on the nose. That hand was slapped away by Riku who soon after snagged Sora's, literally pulling the brunette out of his chair and onto his lap.

Sora's face paled and then scorched a dark red. _What!?_ His eyes screamed as he felt his body laying flush against Riku's. He gulped weakly as he felt the eyes of his brother's ex-boyfriend drilling a hole into his back.

"Of course we're dating." Riku replied in a sultry voice, eyes flashing from Axel to Sora. "Go along with it," Riku murmured, understanding Sora's situation. Axel looked a bit iffy, to which Riku caught at once.

"I'm sorry, Sora." Riku whispered before his arm reached upward, tugging Sora's face closer to his. Sora made a small, almost silent eep noise as the brunette's forehead banged against his. They, by now, were inches apart, and Riku's heart was in his throat. Riku wasn't sorry. At all.

Lips met somewhere in the middle as Riku's arms soothingly relocated themselves around Sora's waist. Sora squeaked into the kiss, not really expecting his best friend to be doing this in this situation. He didn't mind it, oh not at all, in fact he loved it, but he didn't want Riku to be doing this because he was forced to. Sora closed his eyes, hoping Axel would go away before he did something he would regret.

"Fine. Have fun with your puny boyfriend." Axel scoffed, storming away from the row and leaving the two to be.

Sora melted into the kiss, fingers softly running through Riku's soft locks of silver. He felt like he was weightless, and on fire at the same time. Riku's digits splayed on the small of his back, pushing Sora flush against his once more as his lips took the smaller's in his, biting it softly. This action earned a muffled moan from the earlier silent Sora.

"I think," Sora breathed into the chaste kiss, "he's gone…" Sora finished, trying to catch his breath.

Riku stared at re-opened blue eyes, gauging his reactions. A sympathetic look spread onto the taller male's lips as he sighed. "You can get off if you want." Riku mumbled, trying to hide six years of want from leaking into his voice.

"Unless you don't want me to?..." Sora dared, throat going dry all of a sudden.

"Mm .. I think he's looking this way," Riku mumbled slyly, leaning forward and taking Sora's lips within his own once again. Sora blushed, pressing back into the kiss, and closer towards his best friend.

After a few moments, they separated. "We shouldn't be doing this in public," Sora murmured under his breath.

"That's the /point/, Sora. If he can't see us then," Riku began with a smirk but was silenced when he saw the seriousness in Sora's eyes. "…I'm sorry." He answered dejectedly.

"Do you like me?" Sora found himself finally asking after five years of trying to deny it in his head.

Riku stared at Sora who was only inches away. His mind tried to grasp for an answer, but soon a much more suitable response flickered into his mind. Riku pulled Sora closer to him, so that their lips were millimeters apart. Only then did he whisper, "Well look at that…a home run."

Sora didn't get it at first, due to the fact that the crowd wasn't cheering like they usually would when a homerun was hit. "…What?" He wasn't getting where Riku was going with this.

"You're horrible with analogies," Riku teased before kissing his sweet, little brunette once more/making/ him understand.

Maybe Sora never did get anywhere in gym class … but at least now he was on the bases.

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	4. Sugar

**Dedication:** Thetra

_She's a real sweetheart and a loyal reviewer, so this one's for her. She said she loves the romantic yet cliché sunsets and ice cream fanfics. So do I. So I figured I'd put a little spin on the classic 'ice cream' and 'sunset watching' one-shot that most of us have probably read before. So let's begin, shall we?_

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004

_**Sugar**

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_

There were not many things sweeter than ice cream. Its soft and creamy texture mixed with a sweet and addictive taste was hard for many to resist. In fact, icecream was perhaps the world's favorite treat. Who could deny themselves the cold pleasure of the dessert? Especially when a shy, eighteen year old brunette was serving it.

Riku Karada wasn't sure if it was the gravity-defying, wild, brown hair, or if it was the oceanic blue eyes, or if it was the award-winning smile. Sora Kayaki had everything that Riku had ever wanted. But Sora was out of reach. Sora was the most charismatic and kindest boy he had ever met. Who could blame him for falling head over heels in love with the boy the minute he met him? So Riku, like most love-sick teenagers attending their first year of college would do, went to the place Sora worked everyday.

"Hi, Riku." Sora chimed happily, dropping the ice-cream back into the galloon. Blue eyes danced over to meet Riku's aquamarine eyes for a second. The brunette walked over to the counter, leaning into it with a large grin. "Same as usual?" He inquired.

Sora was the most angelic creature Riku had ever met. His hair reminded him of chocolate ice cream, a sweet, caramel brown, whilst his skin was like a toffee. He sighed and nodded towards the teenager, "Yeah, of course."

He was going to ask Sora out on a date one of these days. He had been coming here for the past _two_ months, everyday, and ordered the same thing. A small, one-scope chocolate ice-cream cone. He'd chat, purchase the treat, then head off to his work. Both boys attended the same college, but really only had the chance to speak at the ice cream parlor. Riku figured one day he'd be able to figure out if Sora was interested.

"Okay." Sora shyly walked over to the case but was stalled when he felt Riku's hand slide onto his own. Blue eyes shot up, once again meeting glass-like eyes. They looked like the ocean. All the colors of the sea,_ all_ the things he loved about the sea even, swarmed in Riku's eyes, accenting his silver hair beautifully. "Riku?" Sora whispered, fingers feeling like they were being burned by the Adios' touch.

"I was wondering," Riku coughed. He had always been a better 'sweet-talker' than a smooth-talker, but whenever he approached the subject of dating with the brunette, he got tongue-tied. Like his tongue was frozen from the ice-cream Sora served. "If you weren't busy, would you be interested in going to dinner with me?" Riku relocated his gaze to behind Sora, to appear as if he was looking at him.

Sora's fingers twitched underneath Riku's as a light blush appeared on his ashen face. A smallish smile appeared on Sora's lips as he nodded, "Of course."

He had seen Riku here _everyday_ for the past two months. He had been utterly attracted to the silver-haired male from the day he ordered. He was_ strikingly_ handsome and had the most beautiful pair of eyes Sora had ever seen. Their conversations were always so refreshing and never awkward. Sora, of course, had told himself that someone as dashing as Riku /had/ to be straight.

"Well, that's good." Riku offered a smirk at Sora as his fingers lingered on the brunette's for a few more seconds before he pulled them back.

"Hehe." Sora laughed, loving how simple-minded and straight-forward things were with his new friend.

"I'll come back here at six to pick you up, okay?" Riku asked to confirm. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Sounds good, Riku." Sora loved how the name just flowed off his tongue. Ri-_ku_. Riku. No matter how slow or fast you said it, it had the same spell-binding effect on the infantile boy. "Oh!" Sora quickly made a dash for the ice-cream storage, scooping some chocolate onto a cone. He hurried back and nearly shoved it in his date's face. "Here ... on the house." Sora blushed again, kindly offering it to Riku.

"Thanks." Riku smiled back at Sora, reaching out to take it. Their hands touched for a split second as Riku took it. "See you later."

"Y-yeah." Sora stammered excitedly, mind going into a permanent haze. He was going to go on a date with /Riku Karada/. At least, that's what he remembered the teen's name to be.

**_x x x_**

Riku made sure never once to let go of the beautiful brunette's hand as they walked from the restaurant to the pier. Riku had the steak and Sora had the pasta dish. The dinner had contained much interesting and enlightening conversation, only galvanizing Riku to want to bring Sora someplace else. The boy was just a work of art. The ice-cream parlor boy who had somehow captured Riku's mind, heart, and soul all at once.

Sora pulled Riku out onto the wooden planks of the pier cautiously. Sora beamed out at the horizon and then over to his date. "I've never been here before." Sora informed him bashfully, fingers tightly woven within the other's.

Riku offered a carefree laugh as he tugged Sora closer to him as they walked, hand-in-hand. He noticed Sora's hesitation in going too close to the edge so slowed their pace until it was comfortable for Sora. Once at the end, they sat down alongside each other. Both pair of legs went over the edge, dangling feet above the water.

"It's pretty out here." Sora noted, looking at the fiery sky and then back to Riku.

"Not as pretty as you." Riku hummed, thumb gently massaging the back of Sora's hand. That simple action ignited a fire in Sora as he stifled a giggle from his pale lips.

"Thanks for tonight, Riku." Sora said, practically humming the other's name, "It's awesome that we're finally getting to do something together instead of ordering ice cream." That earned another giggle from Sora.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Riku answered, pulling Sora a bit closer.

"Mhm." Sora replied, shyly leaning against Riku's shoulder.

"You know, that ice cream you sell isn't all that sweet." Riku informed him, chin resting perfectly on top of Sora's head.

"It isn't?" Sora frowned, terrified at the idea that he was selling people sour ice-cream and they hadn't spoken up about it. Especially Riku. Blue eyes filled with alarm as Sora impatiently awaited an answer from his new friend.

"It's sweet, just not as sweet as you." Riku cooed.

Sora flushed a dark crimson, "Hah ... nice one." Sora shifted closer, if possible, until Riku slipped his free arm around the skinny brunette.

"We've known each other for months, why haven't I asked you out before?" Riku asked himself out loud, glancing down at Sora for an answer. When he saw that those blue, spherical eyes contained none, he continued, "I'm usually not this timid when it comes to asking people out. But there I was, stalling for two months. Buying ice cream and all."

"Haha..." Sora laughed, "Did you only go there to see me?"

"Yeah, and to buy ice cream." Riku noted in a soft, lulling whisper.

The voice entranced Sora, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure." Riku answered, looking down at his beautiful date.

"I really like you." Sora hummed cutely.

"Can I tell you one?"

"Of course."

"I really like you too." Riku answered, leaning down to capture Sora's lips in a chaste kiss. Sora shyly leaned upward, returning the kiss. Moments passed before Sora timorously pulled away, "Can I tell you another secret, Riku?" Sora requested, playing with their adjoined hands.

Riku kissed Sora again before muttering into the kiss, "What's that?"

"I can't swim." Sora confessed, giving reason for having acted so apprehensive about going out onto the pier. "Your turn ... to say a secret."

Riku allowed their lips to linger, aquamarine eyes opening to meet blue ones. He smiled genuinely before smirking and uttering, "I'm lactose intolerant."

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_bet you didn't see that one coming x3 (trust me ... I know how it feels to be lactose intolerant and not to be able to eat ice cream...) leave a review, lovelies._


	5. Fragence

**Dedication**: Chaotic Rei

Well, she said she wanted something to do with tight jeans. x3 so this whole thing kind of rolled on from there. I usually don't do things like this, but hey, why not? And no offense to those of you who the like the store mentioned in here. Sora's just being Sora with his opinion.

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005

_Fragence_

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Sora had no idea why Riku was so persistent in dragging him clothes shopping. The brunette figured only /girls/ did that type of thing. But no. Here came the ever-stylish, popular, and quite ego-centric Riku Karada, who just happened to be his best friend and current crush. Riku never really did listen to the rules of society. If society had any rules, that is. There were more ... the unwritten rules that society had created that were attributed to places like this. The one place Sora really wasn't planning on ever entering. The one place all of his 'lower-class' friends told him to steer clear of. That place was Hollister.

"Sora. You do realize these clothes will show off your form, right?" Riku nagged at his brunette friend. Sora lingered near the entrance of the shop. The boy was trying his hardest not to stare at the half-naked mannequin near the door. Of course, his attempt was in vain as his blue eyes glued to the fake chest.

"Sora." Riku snapped his fingers in front of Sora, "Would you pay attention?" He snapped.

Sora peered meekly over at his friend. He mouthed the words 'make me', but figured that Riku hadn't yet mastered lip-reading. Yet was the key word in that phrase. For now, he was safe. "You know I don't like this place, Riku." Sora retorted stubbornly. To prove his point, he crossed his arms to his chest and pouted.

"Sora," Riku began calmly, ushering the brunette inside against his will, "There's no need to be afraid. You're here with me. No one's going to assault you. My lord." By the end he had completely forgotten Sora's earlier resistance.

"I like the clothes I have." Sora muttered, fingers pulling at his loose and baggy black pants. Cargo, of course.

"Well," Riku glanced back at Sora with an undeniable grin, "The bondage is quite kinky." He shrugged before pulling Sora towards a display, "But the clothes themselves have to go."

"You sound like a gay guy on a design show." Sora complained, eying the people around him nervously. He didn't belong with these people. These people were popular, stylish, and nothing like him. He winced as one shot him a glare. One smiled at him, making the impact of the glare less intense. Okay, so the crowd was half kind, half dangerous.

"I resent that." Riku snapped, "If I wasn't your best friend I'd have smacked you for that." Riku informed him.

The silver-haired teenager's hands slipped onto a brown shirt. He hoisted it into the air and then over to Sora's torso where he plastered it onto his body. "Hmm ... Looks like a fit." Riku hummed, shoving it into Sora's hands. "Go change." Riku demanded as he pointed towards the dressing rooms.

"But Riku-" Sora began in protest but was shoved towards the changing area.

Sora grumbled darkly and slid into one. Once inside, he slumped his body against the back of the dressing stall with a dismal sigh. Eyes surveyed the shirt afterwards. "Why does he want me to wear this?" Sora pouted as he slid his shirt off quickly. He put the 'new shirt' on and glanced wearily into the mirror.

"I look stupid." Sora pouted, noticing just how /tight/ and form-fitting it was. He bit his bottom lip. "Riku, I look horrible in this!" Sora called from inside.

"Come out. I bet you that you don't." Riku sneered tapping his knuckles on the door.

"Fine." Sora huffed as he shoved the door open. Riku took a step back, allowing Sora to exit. At once emerald eyes glued themselves to the boy's upper torso. "Well?" Sora sighed, blushing a tint of red. He looked like an idiot. He wasn't made for this kind of clothing.

"Not bad," Riku lied. More like 'fucking hot', but he wasn't in the mood to seduce Sora. Not yet anyways.

"Whatever." Sora grumbled but was silenced when Riku pushed him back into the changing room. "I'm going!" Sora pouted. He changed back into his normal clothing and exited, sending Riku a look of hate. Riku only chortled to himself.

"Now that you have a shirt, let's try the pants," He beckoned Sora to follow him towards another table. Once the pair was there, Riku leaned against said table. "Jeans or shorts, Sora?"

"...Riku, I can't focus when these mannequins are here." Sora murmured, eying a shirtless one that was within feet of them. "They need more clothing on."

Riku laughed and then grinned darkly. His dexterous fingers slid onto the male mannequin's body with an unexpected elegance. Digits trailed fleetingly along the fake grooves as he whispered just loud enough for Sora to hear, "Don't these things turn you on, Sora?"

"Riku, cut it out!" Sora stammered, shielding his eyes with hands. However, he splayed his fingers out so he could sneak a peak at his best friend practically feeling up the fake man.

"Nah." Riku replied, hands caressing the plastic, "I don't want to."

"You're a pervert!" Sora stated, stalking away from Riku.

Riku snickered devilishly and followed Sora. "Oh come off it, Sora. You're so uptight." Riku complained. All Sora was doing was complaining. It was annoying Riku. A lot.

"Well I don't want to be here." Sora answered, sauntering over to a counter. "Who wants to buy this stuff anyhow?" Sora asked drearily, picking up a bottle of cologne. He eyed it cautiously before reading the label. "Mystical Pleasures..." He trailed off and then set it back down. "I'll pass."

"Hmm.." Riku grabbed one himself, prodding the label with interest. "Infernal Evenings." He arched his eyebrows teasingly before spraying some onto his neck. He then proceeded to lean close to Sora, "Does this smell make you want to have a hot and sexy night with me, dear?"

"You're making this painful for me," Sora whispered, face a complete pale. Riku was always poking fun at everything that really shouldn't be. If Riku had any idea that Sora was practically infatuated with the teen he probably wouldn't taunt him as much. Sora groaned.

"Point is?" Riku laughed, pulling away. "Here ... I'll just go try on some new pants and then we'll be done."

"Thank god." Sora answered, quickly making his way over to the dressing rooms. Once there, he watched as Riku took a pair of jeans from the earlier mentioned table and walked in. Sora leaned against the dressing room as he waited.

"I'll buy you the shirt you tried on," Riku called from inside, slipping into the jeans.

"All right?" Sora dared, looking down at the brown shirt in his clutches.

"As long as you promise to wear it." Riku added on, grunting a bit. Sora could only imagine the difficulties the other was having. If only he knew.

"Fine, fine. I promise."

"All right good."

"Are you done yet?" Sora asked, watching a few people eye him curiously.

"..." Riku was silent as more grunting ensued.

"Riku?" Sora inquired, this time turning around to face down the stall. "Are you dead?" He wouldn't put it past this place to have assassins in their dressing rooms.

"I can't get these damn pants off." Riku growled. "They're too tight."

"Tight?" Sora squeaked, choking on his words. He had seen Riku in semi-tight clothing, but so tight to the point he couldn't get it off? "Is it that bad?" He stammered uncertainly.

"Fuck, Sora. I seriously can't-" Riku's voice sounded constrained as his fingers worked at the waistline, "-get them off."

Sora was about to comment when he felt himself being pulled into the room. Within seconds, his behind made contact with the floor as he fell backwards. His head hit the mirror in the process. "Ow!" Sora whined, rubbing the back of his head. Blue eyes looked up at Riku who had just dragged him in here.

Oh god... he was in a dressing room. With Riku... who was currently wearing the tightest pants in the world. And they had holes in the knees too. And from where Sora was sitting, he could see up an inch onto the smooth planes that was Riku's angelic legs. God, save him now.

Sora's mouth went dry as he looked desperately up at his best friend. He once again mouthed words, this time silently shouting 'save me'. He gulped down a lump in his throat as Riku's fingers continued to prod at his waistband.

"Fucking pants," Riku seethed.

Sora couldn't /help/ but stare. "W-w-why do I need to be in here also?" Sora managed to get out.

Riku snagged Sora by the wrist to ease the boy up and onto his feet. He motioned for Sora to place his hands on his hips and pull down.

"What?!" Sora nearly hollered but was silenced by his friend's hand. He fought back the urge to lick said hand.

"Just help me get them off," Riku growled.

"I..." Sora felt his hands being forcefully placed on Riku's hips. God. They were accented by those damn pants. Sora muffled a whine as his eyes shot up to meet Riku's. "Riku..." Sora wasn't sure if the other heard him or not.

"Sora?" Riku stared questioningly until it clicked finally, "Sora-love," He tugged Sora flush to his body with a grin, "Do these pants turn you on?"

"Why do you... think that everything turns me-" Sora began but was silenced by an unfriendly hand coaxing its way up his shirt. Just a bit. Not much. "-on." The last word was more of a moan when fingers made brief contact with his skin.

His cheeks heated. Riku laughed, "Ironic," Riku began, craning his neck so his lips could ghost over Sora's neck.

"What's...ironic?" Sora gasped, shivering. Riku hadn't even touched him yet and he was being driven insane. He blamed Hollister. He blamed them for everything.

"That I finally get the courage to actually do this and I'm in constricting jeans," Riku mumbled as his lips touched Sora's neck. Sora arched into the touch, a gasp suddenly flying from his lips. "Hmm," Riku hummed delicately, "You know what I'm thinking?"

"What?" Sora rasped, feeling his body being pushed against the back of the stall.

"I say we," Riku reached behind him to lock the stall, "forget about discretion and come clean. And by clean," He pressed another heated kiss to Sora's beat-red neck, "I mean dirty."

Why did Riku talking 'dirty' to him make him even more ... turned on. Oh great. Now he was supporting Riku's theory. "Riku," Sora whispered, "We're in public and- wait. You like me?" Sora lowered his voice to a whisper.

"God, Sora. I thought it was obvious." Riku moaned quietly, nipping at Sora's neck and tugging at the other's shirt. "I thought that the whole strip poker reference the other day would have given it away. You're denser than I thought."

"H-hey!" Sora pouted. The insult was soon forgotten when Riku's lips smoothly slid along his neck. "Y-y-ou can't be serious..."

"Dead." Riku answered. Teeth ran along the soft exposure of the brunette's neck, testing to see what Sora's reaction would be. As expected, the boy tensed up and shivered in his grasps. Riku laughed softly once again and allowed his digits to brush just above Sora's naval.

"R-riku," Sora echoed in a slur.

Before Sora had time to utter another word, his shirt was up and over his head and then discarded into a pile in the corner. Seconds later Riku's shirt followed it. "Riku?" Sora squeaked, eyes trailing up and down Riku's now exposed chest. "Are you..."

"Shush." Riku commanded, biting at Sora's collarbone. His bites were feather-light, not wanting to cause Sora any pain.

"You do know ... that you're groping me in ... a dressing room, right?" Sora breathed out, eyes rolling upward in relish. Sora was suddenly thankful that Riku had such perfect teeth. The feeling they produced was /utterly entrancing/.

"I'd be doing a lot more if I could get these damn pants off." Riku groaned huskily. Fingers danced along the back of Sora, splaying near the small of his back. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"And you're..." Sora began but was silenced when he felt Riku take his lips in his own.

Riku was kissing him. Riku actually /kissed/ him. God, was he dreaming?

Sora melted into his first kiss shared with Riku, pressing forward against the half-naked form of his best friend. Something sparked deep inside Riku as his hands slid expertly beneath the waist band of Sora's pants, giving the boy's behind a gentle squeeze. Sora gasped into the kiss, flaring up. How far was 'too far'?

Riku loved the way Sora tasted. It was a mix between innocence and something sweet. Not cinnamon or spicy, just something sweet. His lips worked adeptly at Sora's inexperienced ones. His hands relocated themselves outside of Sora's pants, roaming the boy's body as if it was a new land. And in some senses it was.

"Riku," Sora moaned into the kiss, feeling his friend's tongue lap at his lips.

"Quiet," Riku instructed, lips falling from Sora's to give a gentle suck to his neck.

Sora's breathing became uneven as he leaned back against the wall, savoring Riku's ministrations. It was heaven. Heaven in hell. Go figure. "Does this mean we're..." Sora tried to say.

"Dating?" Riku guessed, eyes shooting up, "I don't know, does it, Sora-love?" Riku inquired innocently, hands teasingly coaxing Sora into emitting mews of pleasure.

"Y-y-y-yeah." Sora slurred, arching into Riku's delicate hands.

"Mmm. Good." Riku smiled before kissing the bridge of Sora's nose, "I think we should call it a day."

"W-why?" Sora complained, body aching to be touched sensually again.

"Because I don't really want to make out with you in a dressing room, idiot." Riku informed, fingers running along Sora's chest. "And I think if we continue at this rate, we'll do something we're both not ready for." Sora blushed at that idea.

"Right..." Sora reached for the shirt in the pile. He slid it on quickly as Riku expertly peeled the jeans off his throbbing body. Sora glanced away, trying to calm himself down.

"I don't like the pants that much anyway." Riku shrugged, placing them on a hook. "Besides, I'd rather get straight home," He winked at the brunette and put his shirt and old pants back on. He then resorted to tugging Sora out of the dressing room like a piece of property.

Sora remained a bright red, quite thankful that his pants were baggy. He watched as people stared at their interlaced hands as Riku hurried to the exit. Once there, he dragged Sora outside of the shop.

Only for the alarm to go off.

"Sora?"

"Y-yes?..."

"You have the wrong shirt on, don't you?..."

"M-maybe..."


	6. Lunar

**Dedication **: GlassPrinceRiku

Well, he said a lake, a moon, and a popsicle. So I went from there and this formed. It's a bit of a sweet and slightly angst from the last one. The next one is going to be for my lovely Eternamente. So leave a review for this one!! And check out my lovely friends' fanfictions ;D

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006  
_Lunar

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_

There were three things Sora hated in life. One; bugs. Two; girls. Three; summer camp. And ironically, all three of these things had to be shoved into one month. One month where he couldn't get away from any of them. The only time he /didn't/ have to deal with number two was when he was in his cabin with his room-mate. Any other time, they flocked about like fluttering butterflies, leeching and attacking anything in their path. Demonic butterflies was more like it.

Now, of course, there was a reason why Sora Kayaki 'disliked' girls so much. Ever since he was little, his sister Tifa and her friends would always come over and annoy him. They'd laugh at him, put him up to doing stupid stunts, and worst of all, dress him up like a 'pretty princess'. Sora was still scarred from that. He never wanted to see a hot pink sun dress ever again. Ever.

There was also a reason Sora hated bugs also. When he was five, Tifa had childishly shoved a spider down the back of his shirt. Of course, the poor girl didn't know Sora had a phobia of spiders (who wouldn't? With their hairy, odd looking legs, beady eyes, and the malicious way they walked.). Ever since then, Sora hadn't been a big fan of anything remotely bug-like. When it came down to it … he was just a big, seventeen year old baby.

Summer camp had come as a huge shock to Sora. His mother, Taranda, had told Sora it would do wonders with his fear of bugs and improve his social skills. And his health. Mental, physical, and social. Sora didn't really buy that. He figured it was just an excuse to get him out of the house and away from his video games. Sad thing was, he had been pried away from them before he could finish _Tales of Symphonia_. Poor guy.

Although Sora may be a 'baby' when it came to his 'three deadly things', he really was a good person. The boy got good grades, was as quiet as a mouse, and never broke any rules (well, not that any people were aware of). He was always kind to adults (although he did shudder when the adult was female), and polite to his teachers. He never really had a problem with other boys.

That was before he met his roommate in Cabin 33 of Summer side Lake.

It was night five, to be precise, and Sora had finally gotten used to his roommate. The teen was, in essence, the most complex being Sora had ever come across. From his godly, almost inhuman silver hair, to his piercing aquamarine eyes, to his velvet-smooth baritone voice, it was just all too much. Riku. Even his name had this mystical sound to it.

And it was no wonder that Riku was the 'god' of Summer Camp. He always was a smooth-talker to the ladies …

Sora pushed his tired and bruised body up off his cot. Blue eyes glanced around the dark cabin as he scuffled towards the door. Once there, Sora leaned against the windowsill, peering out at the dark and empty path before him leading into the woods and towards the lake. It was a full-moon, and Sora was keen on seeing it. Living in the city really hampered your chances to see nature at it's best.

Sora reached out to snag the doorknob. He turned it ninety-degrees, only for the door to make a high-pitched creak. Damn wood.

"Sora?..." Riku mumbled unintelligently from his bed. The silver-haired teen snuggled closer to his blankets as green eyes flew open. Questioningly, they locked with Sora's in the darkness. "What are you?..." Riku managed in a yawn.

"Nothing … just go back to sleep." Sora instructed nervously, waving his hands in the air to dismiss the confusion. Riku was his friend and all, but he'd rather be alone. Being alone nowadays was a rarity.

"…Are you sneaking out?" Riku grumbled, pushing his body up so his back could make contact with the head-board. He rubbed his head a few times, pushing away the fatigue and hair obstructing his vision.

"No…" Sora answered simply; sweat beginning to form on the top of his forehead. "Why would I?" He asked apprehensively. Sora did not even have a /reason/ to sneak out. Well, not any that would concern Riku. It was not like he was going to meet with a girl and commit sins or anything. So why should his new friend care?

"Then what are you doing at midnight?" Riku inquired. The teenager swung his legs off the side of his cot. His feet hit the floorboards, making a gentle thump echo throughout the cabin. Eyes relocated themselves back to Sora, staring curiously at the brunette through the moon-lit darkness.

"…Going to the… bathroom?" Sora answered. His answer sounded more like a question itself.

"…There's one in here, dumb ass." Riku replied, nudging his head over his shoulder to the bathroom door in the far right corner. "Now are you going to tell me the reason why you're sneaking out? Or will I be forced to get it from you?" He arched his eyebrows suggestively.

"Hah… of course there is." Sora stammered, eying the bathroom with a sudden repugnance.

Riku arose from his bed and made his way over to Sora. "Tell me now."

"What if I don't want to?" Sora refuted, sizing up his friend. Of course, Sora was countless inches shorter, so all he did was come eye-to-eye with the middle of Riku's neck. And if he stood on his tip-toes, then he could stare directly at the other. Too bad his feet were blistered, preventing him from doing such.

"Then I'll pin you down to that bed over there," Riku motioned with his right hand, "and /make/ you tell me."

"…" Sora went pale and was quite thankful it was dark so Riku couldn't seen his nervous expression. "I'll pass." He slurred out.

"Fine. If you won't tell me I'm going with you. Last thing I need is the councilors chewing me out for letting my room-mate wander around aimlessly and get hurt." Riku scoffed and then eyed Sora, "Now go ahead, lead. Just think of this as follow the leader." He gestured to the door, "Go on, Sora."

"Fine." Sora finally caved and pushed his way out of the cabin. He could /feel/ Riku's eyes drilling holes into the soft expanse of his back. The fiend …

Sora lead Riku down to the lake. He figured striking up a conversation would be the best thing to do. "So… do you like it here?" It was a stupid question. Sora knew that. But it was the only thing that came to mind. Sadly.

"Eh… I guess." Riku shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, "The girls here are all sluts. It's kind of boring." Riku added on dismally.

"Wouldn't that make it easier for you?" Sora teased, sending a look to Riku over his shoulder as he made his way into the forest.

"Very funny, virgin-boy." Riku mocked.

"Well, so are you!" Sora chimed devilishly.

"And what if I am? Care to solve that problem for me, _Sora_?" Riku hummed, eyes sparkling at Sora. Sora at once paled and tensed. "Kidding…" Riku felt the need to add on, noticing his friend's sudden lack of response.

"Of course you are…" Sora whispered innocently to himself. "…Do you have a flashlight?" Sora asked after an awkward moment of silence.

"Of course I do," Riku answered, "I always carry one in my back pocket. Along with nail-clippers, a stereo, and lubrication." Riku barked, rolling his eyes.

"Do you really?" Sora asked childishly.

"You did not just ask me that…" Riku smacked his head with vexation. "You've got to learn how to detect sarcasm. Along with learning how to listen to your hormones … figuring that you have any."

"…That's not funny." Sora pouted, crossing his arms to his chest, "I was just asking if you had a flashlight so I could see where we were going."

"Well I sort of figured that you knew." Riku responded, swatting away bugs that were suddenly 'into him'. "Get the fuck away," He hissed under his breath.

"Who? Me?" Sora inquired, craning his neck over his shoulder as he hopped over a branch laying in the path.

"…Yeah, Sora." Riku responded sarcastically, "No." He corrected, "I was talking to bugs."

"Right." Sora blushed and hopped over another branch. "I knew that." The blush grew as Riku caught up to him. The teen now walked alongside the brunette. "Hey, you…" Sora laughed, glancing over at Riku. "Long time no see…"

"You are so weird," Riku countered, rolling his eyes and smirking, "But I find it attractive." And with that he said no more.

Sora's face turned a beat red.

When the pair did arrive to the lake, Sora scrambled up the large rock near the lake. Riku watched curiously as Sora shimmied his way up the massive rock until he sat at the flat top. The brunette gazed out over the lake and then back to Riku bearing a large grin. He reached into a small crevice at the peak and retrieved a brown paper bag. His hand darted inside until he snagged two white-wrapper objects and an icepack. "Come here, Riku." Sora instructed with a smile. He patted the rock and motioned for Riku to climb up.

"…Right." Riku arched his eyebrows curiously and climbed up with ease. He sat down beside Sora, swinging his legs off over the edge. The sight of the lake was breath-taking up here. And the moon's reflection in the water made it all the more magical.

"It's pretty, isn't it, Riku?" Sora declared in awe, passing one of the cold objects to Riku.

"Whatever you say," Riku whispered, cautiously taking the object. He opened it and then laughed, "How the hell did you manage to sneak these here?" He hoisted his strawberry popsicle into the air, "Aren't these like .. taboo?"

"A secret." Sora giggled, unwrapping his and plunging it into his mouth. "Issitood?" He asked. In proper English, he asked 'is it good?'.

Riku licked the icy treat and nodded, "Yeah. I like strawberry…" He stated carefully and then noticed that Sora had set down the popsicle and was staring out at the lake again. "What are you looking at?"

"The moon." Sora beamed beautifully back at Sora, pointing out at the glowing object in the water. "Seee? There's two moons! Right, Riku?"

Was he for real? "… Are you seriously asking me that?" Riku asked skeptically.

"…Maybe." Sora giggled again and swayed back and forth on the rock, "The moon's so pretty … I wish I could touch it, you know? Touch something that's not from this world. Something you always marvel at."

Riku never had been /so/ turned on by Sora's little 'nature and life' talks as he was right now. "I'd give you the moon if I could…" Riku whispered under his breath. And honestly, he would.

"I wonder if I swam out to it I could touch it!" Sora declared with a sloppy grin, about to lunge into the water.

"Sora!" Riku snapped, snagging the boy by his wrist, "Don't. You'll-" Riku began. His grip on Sora loosened and the boy fell into the lake below them. Within moments Sora was swimming out to the shiny moon in the water, creating ripples as he went. "Sora!" Riku hissed, smacking his own head once again, "It's freezing in there! Get out!"

"But Riku!" Sora called, flapping his arms in the water. "I want to touch the-." He began but was cut short when he lost his train of thought and reached out to touch the reflection. When he did such, a frown appeared on his face. "Oh…"

Never before had Riku felt so /bad/. And he hadn't even been the cause of the sadness drenched on his friend's face. "Sora…" Riku called anxiously from the rock.

"…Haha… of course it isn't real…" Sora blushed, fighting back the urge to cry. Boys didn't cry. Especially over trivial things like these. It was just Sora had been obsessed with the moon so long … it reminded him of his home and old friends and his dad, but now to be in the water, touching what he thought was the moon, only to discover it wasn't real. It hurt. It drilled home.

Sora swam back dejectedly. He climbed up and onto the shore, shivering a bit.

"Sora?" Riku asked, leaping off the rock and clamoring over to the other, "You okay?" He extended his right hand and slipped it under Sora's chin. He used his index finger to lift Sora's face up so he could stare directly into his eyes. Was he crying? "You okay?" He repeated.

"I'm fine," Sora lied, flinching away.

"No you're not." Riku countered; thumb idly brushing against the soft and wet cheek of his friend, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing that can't be fixed." Sora whispered but was silenced when he felt the heat of Riku's gaze on him. He cracked his eyes open and gasped a bit when he saw the intensity in Riku's gaze. "R-riku?"

"I guess it sucks to not be able to get what you want…" Riku trailed off, nudging his face meekly towards the moon. Sora's voice cracked a small whine as he nodded fervently. "I know how much it means to you," Riku mumbled. It was obvious Sora's connection with the lunar being.

"Riku…" Sora sighed, closing his eyes painfully as he shivered.

Riku pressed his body flush to Sora's, offering some of his body heat. Sora blushed a violent red from the contact. "Here," Riku hummed softly, taking Sora's right hand in his own. He slid a cold, green object into it. A charm. "My friend gave me this a few years ago. I figured you'd be more appreciative of it."

Sora stared down at their clasped hands. Cautiously, he opened his and stared at the moon charm. "… It's yours though…" Sora stared questioningly at Riku.

"Yeah, well," He shook his head, "You need it more than me."

Sora grinned and then leaned up on his hurting feet to press a delicate kiss to Riku's cheek, "Thank you," He whispered against the skin, lips lingering there. He was unable to move away, frightened that his actions were offending to Riku. Tifa had told him countless times that not many people were accepting of people like him. Not many at all.

Riku's arms slid around the wet waist of Sora as he leaned his forehead down against his friend's, "You're certainly welcome." He hummed back, nuzzling his nose to Sora's.

"Riku?" Sora asked nervously.

"Yeah?" Riku rasped out, inches from Sora's face.

"Just for now … can you pretend to be my moon?"

Riku blinked, "As long as you're my sun. Then it's a deal." He breathed huskily before capturing Sora's pale lips into a deep kiss. Sora melted into the touch, pressing his wet body close to Riku's warm one. "Just for tonight we can pretend it's just us," Riku informed him, letting his lips drop to Sora's neck, kissing the wet columns of skin sweetly. "Just us."

"I'd like that," Sora blushed in a whisper.


	7. Lipstick

**_Dedication_**: Eternamente

Well, he gave me the wonderful challenge (or more so theme) for this one. He said to write one involving lipstick, but /without/ cross-dressing. Don't get me wrong, cross-dressing Riku and/or Sora is just fine, but it's not my style. So if you ever see me writing it, it'll be a rarity. Anyhow, moving onto the oneshot. I hope you all enjoy it. (and sorry it took so long)

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_White Lines and Lipstick_

* * *

Sora Kayaki stood there, face completely pale. All the color had been drained in less than a minute. What he was terrified him, embarrassed him, and made his knees go weak. He stood there, with his books spilled at his feet (and a few papers now displaced). Typically benevolent, blue eyes were now horror-stricken with a glimmer of vengeance.

Written in an undeniable shade of maroon (with _lipstick_, of all things) were the words 'Sora Kayaki Is Fucking Hot'. Written the vulgar language and hearts-for-I's. In the boy's bathroom, of all places! And if that wasn't bad enough, the writing was _masculine_. Not neat and somewhat rounded like girls, but strong, narrow, and straight. A guy definitely wrote that, which made shivers travel up and down Sora's spine.

Sora had never been that popular. He was the usual quiet boy with a group of friends he stuck with. They weren't nerds, nor were they the gamers, nor the preps, or jocks for that matter. They were just a group of friends that rarely strayed away from one another. So for someone to write something like that (and out of the group as it seemed) caught Sora off guard. And the words. Oh the words were haunting. He wasn't _hot_. He wasn't even cute. No girl had ever called him attractive, and for the words to be written in _god damn_ lipstick up on the boy's mirror was torture.

Sora jolted nearly a foot into the air when the warning bell sounded. The brunette scampered to collect his discarded things. After that he quickly fled from the bathroom, cheeks stained a bright red. He weaved his ways through the torturous hallways of his high school towards the west wing. Thankfully, as if by a stroke of good fortune, no one was giving him weird looks or chatting about the message. Maybe no one saw it. Maybe no one _cared_. Which was sort of a good thing in retrospective.

Sora slid into the boy's locker room quickly. Once inside he forcefully shoved his books into his locker and removed his gym shorts and tshirt. He sighed and leaned his head against the locker beside his. Today hadn't been that good at all. In fact, it was dreadfully horrible. Selphie had cheated off his paper (resulted in a zero for both of them. Of course Sora didn't speak up because he was _that_ shy), Kairi had started Hayner for the fifth time (Sora hated to see his best friend be tortured by Tidus), and then the whole bathroom incident. Oh, when and where did the cruel day end?

Sora muttered something under his breath as he slammed his locker shut and made his way to the stalls to change. He had gotten there late and was forced to change in the showering stations. It wasn't that big of a deal, really.

He rose his hand to move the curtain aside to get in when a voice from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks, "Sora?"

Sora's hand hovered in the air. He was afraid to turn around. Most of the guys in his gym class were jocks and usually laughed at him for his lack of coordination. Some spoke to him, but it was only during games when they didn't have anything better to do. And for someone to speak in the locker room was bizarre. Down right creepy, actually. And the voice was deep. Oh so deep, alluring, and sexy. Sora shuddered from the thought.

Sora finally mustered enough willpower to turn around. He was greeted with a smirking face. "Oh..hi, Riku." Sora spoke shyly, laughing nervously.

Riku Karada. He had transferred into the hellhole a few months ago. The silver-haired teen with those haunting green eyes usually wore tight (and Sora usually ended up staring as he passed by) pants and a grey t-shirt. He was a mix between gothic and gamer and skater and every other stereotype out there. He wasn't completely one thing. Although he was one of the only boys that could pull off the eyeliner without making it look stupid or over-done. It was just enough.

"You look upset?" Riku asked, leaning against the wall with subtle interest. His green eyes traveled across Sora's body. Sora involuntarily looked away and began fiddling with the tag of his t-shirt. Wal-mart. Go figure.

"No. I'm fine." Sora lied in a small whisper. He and Riku spoke on and off. He hadn't really known that the silver-haired junior had basic pe the same time he did. But of course, Sora being the dim-witted sophomore he was, rarely paid attention regardless. "I didn't know you had this class…" Sora trailed off coyly.

"Got switched into it today." Riku informed Sora with a devilish smirk. Even though Sora couldn't see it (seeing he was looking away) he could feel it. He could feel it burn a hot and blazing hole through his body.

"Oh, so that's why." Sora laughed and leaned against the wall also, staring amusedly. Okay, so he had a slight crush on the other. He had seen him countless times in the hall and at lunch with a few friends, and spoken with him over random things. And apparently Riku was about as straight as he was. Which really wasn't such a good thing for someone to know in this day-and-age in _this_ place. People weren't that accepting. God, they never would be.

"So we have to run the mile everyday, huh?" Riku asked, crossing his arms and making idle chit-chat.

"Mhm." Sora nodded and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "I hate running. I'm so slow…"

"I bet you aren't." Riku spoke in a voice that screamed seduction. Sora barely picked up on the tone. And when he did he ignored it, being too dense to see that the other was _completely_ and _utterly_ coming onto him. "Want to run with me?" He asked curiously.

"You'll be faster than me." Sora argued, shaking his head.

"Then I'll go at your pace." Riku answered, making sure to accent his words carefully. He was being _purposely_ suggestive, but apparently Sora wasn't catching on and wasn't aware of the innuendos fluttering into his fellow classmate's head at a rapid rate.

"Haha. As if." Sora joked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Mm. Not to change the topic, but did you see the boy's bathroom today?" Riku asked curiously, eyebrows arching. His eyes glimmered something unreadable. Sora didn't take the time to decipher what it was.

"Yeah…" Sora blushed and laughed, "It's not true though." He shrugged, "Probably just some joke."

"Aha. I see." Riku noted, and then glanced at the clock in the far corner near the lockers, "Well, I'll let you change. I'll meet you in the gym, _running partner_." He chuckled and waved off Sora and the left the boy be.

Sora blinked a few times before quickly changing. He could grow to like this Riku Karada. More than he already did, at least.

_**xxxx**_

Sora wasn't surprised at how exhausted he was after gym class. The brunette nearly collapsed against the wall near the showers. He wiped off the beads of sweat collecting on his forehead. He groaned, feeling completely weak. If it wasn't for his enlightening run with Riku (where they practically talked about _everything_) he probably would have died. Sora giggled lightly at the thought as he opened the stall to get changed back into his regular clothes.

That was until he felt a hand slip onto his own when he was closing the curtain. He froze, noticing whose it was. Blue eyes traveled upward, locking with aquamarine ones. He gulped down a lump in his throat that had just formed. Cautiously he withdrew his hand and cocked his head to the side.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Riku requested in a voice akin to a whisper.

"Sure?…" Sora replied and glanced around before sighing and nudging his head towards the interior, "Come in."

"Haha." Riku laughed distantly at the awkwardness and entered. He closed the curtain, just for privacy (at least that was his story), and turned to face Sora. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure?…" Sora replied again. The shower stall suddenly felt incredibly small and cramped.

"You didn't like the message?" He asked, his voice on the brink of husky.

"It wasn't true." Sora mumbled, shaking his head, "Besides, I don't like swearing as it Is." Sora explained, shrugging his shoulders dismally.

"But it is true." Riku cooed.

Sora froze for the third time when he felt a hand slip onto his cheek. Shivers coursed through his veins as his gaze rose to meet Riku's once again. "What?" Sora dared in a whisper. Riku thought he was… Wait… So? Sora trembled. That trembling, however, didn't deter him from nuzzling into Riku's warm hand. He was affectionate by nature … and was quite the hopeless romantic. So any kind of embrace he got he, for the lack of anything better, embraced it.

"You're beautiful." Riku stated simply, thumb brushing against Sora's cheek before lowering his refined lips to whisper against Sora's ear, "And I wrote it."

"Y-y-you?" Sora stammered. He suddenly felt very nervous. "You…" Sora repeated and then felt his lithe body being shoved against the back of the shower. Oh great.

"Would you mind terribly if I asked you out? We have a lot in common, I like you, so I think it'd be a good relationship." Riku was blunt. Sora was a bit intimated by that. Well, it wasn't like they had just met. They had been distant friends since Riku moved here… just never spoke much, as earlier stated. And Sora had a crush .. So why not? Besides, what were the chances of someone as handsome as Riku liking him? Especially when Sora liked him back.

"You really want to?" Sora whispered but was caught off guard when he felt his shirt being pulled off.

W-w-hat?!

"R-r-iku?" Sora slurred his words but was silenced by a finger to his lips. Riku's other hand trailed along the boy's exposed chest. Sora shivered against the touch, lips relaxing.

"Let me help you change." Riku whispered sweetly, pressing a gentle and chaste kiss to Sora's cheek, not wanting to do any more, afraid that the brunette would start hollering rape or something along those lines.

"I-I can do it…" Sora reassured Riku but then watched in utter shock as Riku slipped off his own shirt.

For God Damn's Sake!

"I…" Sora felt incapable of speaking, "I…" He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at how _muscular _and _sexy_ Riku was. True, Riku was now his boyfriend, but come on. He wasn't that desperate for affection to start latching onto Riku and stare at his chest like it was some sort of concert.

"Relax." Riku laughed, rolling his eyes. His hand continued applying pressure to Sora's chest, making the younger of the two gasp. He kept his sounds of pleasure remotely quiet, not wanting anyone else who was still in the locker room to hear him. The last thing he needed was someone to spot them and jump to conclusions.

"Okay.." Sora found himself saying.

Riku slipped something out his jean pocket. He uncapped it (was that the _fiendish_ lipstick the other had wrote the message in?!) and rose it in the air. He surveyed it for a second before taking Sora's wrist. Sora eyed Riku for a moment before the silver-haired teen lowered the lipstick. He quickly, and artfully, drew a heart on the brunette's wrist.

"Heh…" Sora blushed darkly, withdrawing his hand to inspect it. "I like it…" Was he supposed to say anything else? He had never had a boyfriend before.

"Thank you." Riku smirked, leaning backwards.

Sora went to reach for his regular shirt to put on. His right hand, due to nerves, hit the lever instead and turned the water on. A bit ironically, actually.

Riku winced as the hot water plundered down on both of them. Sora 'eeped' and at once latched onto Riku. He tangled his arms around the other due to shock. He hadn't been expecting the showers to turn on. The blush grew when he realized that he was face to face with Riku's smooth chest. And now wet chest.

Sora shivered beneath the hot water, peering up at Riku. "Um.." Sora dared.

"You're so clumsy." Riku laughed before cupping Sora's cheek. Sora laughed a bit as well but was caught off guard once more by Riku sliding his lips passionately onto Sora's.

Riku just … kissed him? In a shower?

Sora gasped, pulling back a bit. Riku's silver bangs clung to his face as he stared curiously at Sora, "Something wrong?"

Well … people that dated usually kissed .. "Don't you think it's kind of a bit earlier to kiss? I mean… ten minutes isn't that long." Sora shivered once again. Although the water was hot it still felt chilly on his warm and sweaty skin. He was caught off guard once more when Riku ruffled his hair, pressing a soft kiss to Sora's cheek.

"I understand. You must think I'm a pervert for coming onto you like this," Riku laughed but continued, "It's just …"

"Just?" Sora asked as Riku turned the water off, a light blush on his face. Perhaps he _had_ come on a bit too fast a bit to soon. Oh well … it was just innocent … turning into not so innocent acts.

"It's just you're so 'fucking hot'." Riku stated simply, retrieving his lipstick and triumphantly snapping it shut. He smirked and ran a slim finger under his eyes, "And now my eyeliners bleeding … oh well." He sighed and reached for his shirt near the entrance. He slipped it back on and turned to glance at Sora.

"I'll see you after class."

"Y-yeah…."


	8. five dollars

Dedication: Kamixyu

Just because she's simply amazing and my rikusora buddy. And she's so the writer of the new york times. And stuff. So yeah, this one's for her. It's fluffy and amusing and yeah. I talked about the idea with Repliku and Thetra and decided to stay up until five a.m. writing it. Now I must sleep!

* * *

00**8**

F ive D ollars

Sora Kayaki had _somehow_ been goaded into tagging along with his friends to the first annual 'Twilight Fair'. Sora, right off the bat, was _vehemently_ against fairs and carnivals. It wasn't because he didn't like them - he, in fact, loved the ones they held at Traverse Town every two years. No, the reason Sora hated the fact that Twilight Town was going to host one was simply because it was _Twilight_ Town. His _hometown_. The town that had never done anything creative or amazing. Sora knew right away that the fair was going to be disappointing and lack.

Now you see, Sora wasn't typically pessimistic. The brunette only got that way about his town. Everything else he was optimistic about. He especially enjoyed cloud-gazing, pointing out little shapes as they floated by. Selphie particularly enjoyed this as well. Her and Sora would typically wander to the small field in the farthest part of the town and just stare up at the sky.

But there was a reason Sora resented his town. Sora had spent six years living in Traverse Town. The town, to say the least, was far less populated than this one and was a lot more wealthier. Those things didn't matter. What _really_ mattered was that here he couldn't see the stars at night like he used to be able to do back at home. That irked the brunette, even now. It had been a good ten years since he had a good ten years, though.

Regardless of his musing, Sora agreed to tag along and scope out the fair. At first the brunette had eagerly clung to Selphie, refusing to leave her side, even when she went scampering off to order fried dough. Which, by the way, did not turnout well. Selphie and powdered sugar are a match made in hell.

Sora sighed heavily and continued following the pig-tail brunette as they _tried_ to find Kairi and Hayner. Apparently the pair were here on a _date_. Sora tried to explain to Selphie that perhaps they didn't want to be bothered and that they should just leave them alone. Of course, Selphie would have none of this. When she caught sight of them she skipped off. Sora, regretfully, hung behind. The teenager didn't want Kairi to be angry at him for interrupting her date. They were best friends and best friends understood the term 'private time', as they called it.

So that left Sora wandered the blocked off streets of Twilight Town. The Ferris Wheel in the far corner caught him off guard. He hadn't expected to see one here. And there was a small roller-coaster and a swing-ride and a huge slide. Then there was a _huge_ amount of smaller booths and a stage set perfectly in the center of town. Sora was _astonished_. It looked gorgeous. He had been too busy keeping an eye on Selphie to actually look around before this.

So that's what he did.

The first hour he had accumulated a pink stuffed teddy bear, a stick of cotton candy that he was eagerly munching on, and a cheesy silver locket. It was shaped in the form of a key and opened at the hinge of the key. He found it neat, so he was glad he won it from one of the small booths.

Sora's blue-hued gaze caught sight of something interesting after a moments of loitering near the lemonade stand. Eyes made contact with a particular booth that displayed a unique sign.

Embossed in cursive, bright, neon pink letters were the words, "Kissing Booth."

Sora scrunched his nose up and stared at the lack of a line or people gathering around. In fact _no one_ was at it. Sora stood there for a good five minutes, waiting for someone to go up to it. When no one did, Sora frowned. Perhaps the person wasn't there? The idea of a _kissing_ booth intrigued Sora and he wanted someone to go up there so he could watch. But, of course, no one was doing such.

That's when Sora's eyes caught sight of the teenager behind the counter. The tall male was twirling a strand of silky silver hair around on his finger, a look of boredom displayed on his face. Piercing green eyes were visible from fifteen feet away - the place Sora was standing.

He was _gorgeous_.

Sora's eyes dropped from the beautiful teen down to the booth to further inspect it. On the bottom was a sign. Written in bold, black letters were the words, "Five Dollars."

Five dollars for a _kiss_?

Sora let out a silent 'oh' when he realized it was for charity. A blush danced across Sora's face. He _loved_ giving to charity, almost as much as he liked admiring gorgeous boys from afar. Mind you, Sora never went up to them or spoke to them. He was far too shy to do that. Besides, he doubted anyone of his sexuality would want someone as … un-sexy as him.

Sora's cheeks radiated warmth. The color drained moments later when the male behind the counter caught sight of him staring. Blue eyes met green and Sora's stomach dropped. _Ah! He caught me staring! Damn it! _Sora thought weakly, quickly looking to the right and waving to no one in particular.

After a moment of pointless waving Sora dared a peek back at the booth. The silver-haired male was now messing with his hair again due to obvious boredom.

Sora, after much deliberation, mustered up the courage to go up to the teenager.

And the moment he stood in front of the booth, he froze up entirely.

"Hey," the male said with a flirtatious smile. The smile added to the Adonis aura that the stranger was giving off. Sora shivered and stared at the male's forehead, unable to make eye-contact or speak. "…Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to contribute to Twilight Trove?"

Sora paled when he realized the stranger was addressing him. "W-who, me? I…"

The stranger blinked a few times. Sora was _quite _startled that the silver-haired male had taken no offense to the idea that he could perhaps end up kissing a _guy_. Sora blinked nervously and felt his body trembling. This was why he admired from afar.

"…Maybe a kissing booth was a bad idea. Damn it. I told Naminé that this wouldn't work. I bet she's making thousands at her face-painting booth," the stranger seethed, smacking his forehead in vexation.

Sora stared at him for a long while. He was gazing in awe at the gorgeous and flawless features.

"I haven't made _anything_. They're going to blame it on me," groaned the silver-haired teenager, pulling at his hair. It was then when he realized that Sora was still standing there. The male peered back up to the brunette, astonished that Sora was _still_ standing there and hadn't fled yet.

"It's only five bucks, kid. It goes to a good cause and fuck, I think that I'm _remotely_ a good-kisser," the stranger informed Sora pointedly.

"…" Sora continued to stare wordlessly. "…I'm…Sora…" Sora stumbled, fingers still digging deep in his pockets, desperately searching for a five dollar bill. Damn it, it was in there somewhere!

"Oh, names," the stranger chuckled, green eyes concealed partly behind silver bangs now. "Name's Riku."

Sora smiled faintly at Riku. A marvelous name for a breath-taking person. Sora. A bland name for a bland person. It all worked out in the end. "I…um…" Sora stammered, feeling like Riku's stare was drilling holes through his head.

"You did want to contribute, right? That's why you came up, right? Please say yes. If I don't make _something_ I'm going to be slaughtered by angry females," Riku murmured in discontent, holding his head.

Sora laughed apprehensively. Triumphant coursed in his veins when he found what he was looking for. Well, not exactly. "Er… all I have is a ten." Sora looked down at his feet now. _I've stooped down to the lowest level. I'm getting a hot guy to kiss me for money. Someone should seriously just put me out of my misery._

Riku blinked. "I don't have change."

Another pause.

"I..er… you can just have it," Sora squeaked as he put the bill down. The brunette looked nervously over his shoulders at the passing people. Wait. He had to kiss a hot guy in front of all these _people_?! Sora whimpered mentally.

"Seriously?" Riku asked, picking up the bill and quickly stashing it in the cashbox without giving Sora time to take it back. A smirk played onto the other's lips before looking back to the timid brunette. "I take it you're into guys," Riku stated softly. If it hadn't been for the smirk Sora would have relaxed.

"Er…no… I mean yes… I…" Sora was stammering again and he felt his stomach knotting. He had never spoken to someone this sinfully _beautiful_ before. And especially about kissing and orientation. Someone was out to make his life hell. Or to torture him. Either one, there was proof to support both theories.

"Ah. I get it," Riku laughed and shook his head. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm gay. Does that make you feel more certain of yourself?" Riku cocked a brow.

Sora, in fact, paled. The hottest guy in existence was completely _gay_? Sora gulped and smiled weakly at the stranger. "I… Yeah…"

"I mean, it makes sense. Get someone gay to manage the kissing booth. Though, I think Axel would have been able to do a better job. But he wanted to manage the dunking booth. Fucking pervert," Riku grumbled, crossing his arms. "Axel's bi and I'm gay. Doesn't it make more sense for him to have this job?"

Sora nodded, but was uncertain of what he was agreeing with,

"Anyway," Riku sighed, anger slipping. Aquamarine eyes met Sora's blue ones. "Here," Riku breathed gently. A pale hand reached out and cupped Sora's cheek. Sora tensed against the touch as his face was tugged closer. Within seconds Riku's lips had met his. And within seconds the pleasant, blood-boiling sensation was over. "There's five dollars," Riku mumbled before lightly pressing his lips to Sora's again. Sora was heavily disappointed when the chaste kiss ended. Riku hadn't even nipped his lip! He hadn't even done _anything_! Then again … what was Sora expecting?

"And that's ten," Riku concluded with a smirk appearing again.

Sora's breathing was heavy as his eyes widened. His body tensed when he realized that he had just kissed a stranger! Twice! Sora looked petrified before loudly squeaking. Without another word Sora ran off.

Riku arched an eyebrow and watched the other leave. "Did I… do something wrong?" He shook his head and then leaned back in his chair. "One down … two to go. Fucking great."

_**x x x**_

The second day was even more nerve-wracking.

Selphie hadn't even _dragged_ Sora to the fair. Selphie had gone off with Kairi shopping and Hayner was hanging out with Roxas for the day at the mall. And Sora. Well, he was lurking about the fair grounds. Where, particularly? Well, it was quite obvious.

There he stood, black jacket pulled over his tight brown shirt. Blue eyes watched in curiosity as Riku sat there at the booth, drawing something with a look of disappointment etched on his face. Sora's cheeks radiated warmth at the memory of yesterday. Even though their conversation had been brief, he had been intrigued by the silver-haired teenager. And besides, he had gotten an actual _kiss_ out of someone such as Riku.

Would he look pathetic if he went back? How about if he had another five dollar bill? Would that look desperate?

Sora strolled by the booth a few times, hoping that he would catch Riku's attention.

The plan failed miserably. What did Sora _expect_? Riku calling out to him with excitement? He barely knew the guy! But it felt nice to crush on someone you barely knew anything about. It was the excitement. It was the rush of not knowing things. Your mind was left with the job of imagining what that person was like. Yeah, Sora liked that feeling.

Sora must have been zoning out because the next thing he knew he had collided with a bulky man. Sora squeaked an apology as he tripped and hit the ground beneath him. Emitting a quick, "ow", Sora scrambled to his feet.

"Sora?"

Sora quickly looked over his shoulder to see who was addressing him. As if the heaven's had blessed him, there was Riku staring at him from behind that booth. Emerald eyes were filled with curiosity. And the best part was that those perfect irises were glued to him and only him. Perhaps because he fell … but they were still on him!

"Oh hi!" Sora pretended to forget Riku's name, "…Um…"

"Riku," Riku said uncertainly. His expression showed that he was a bit hurt by the other's lack of remembering.

A blush appeared on Sora's face as he hurried closer to the booth. The brunette leaned against it and stared down at the wood counter he was leaning against. Ah yes. What a fine board of wood. "So, how are you?" Sora asked timorously.

"Horrid," Riku replied in a sigh.

Sora's eyes snapped up to meet Riku's displeased ones. "What? Why?" Sora was genuinely curious - Riku liked that.

"You were the only person, other than Naminé, to contribute to this stupid thing," Riku motioned to the booth he was stuck in. "I can't believe I'm wasting a perfectly good weekend on this thing if I'm bored to death," Riku trailed off as he resisted the urge to whack his head against the counter.

"I'm sorry?" Sora said quietly, tilting his head to the side.

"Eh… I'm fine," Riku mumbled before glancing back at Sora. "So… Sora…"

"Yeah?" Sora was elated that Riku was actually having a _conversation_ with him. Mysterious people always brought a pang of adoration.

"How old are you?" Ah yes, casual questioning.

"Sixteen," Sora said with a faint smile.

"Ah. I'm seventeen. Senior," Riku replied with a shrug. "I suppose to go to the same high-school as me, right?"

"If that's Twilight View High, then yeah," Sora answered with a gentle nod.

"That's the one. One and only," Riku said a bit resentfully.

"Are you in any clubs?" Sora wasn't sure what had overcome him. He was all of a sudden curious about _everything_ that had to do with this stranger. Perhaps he just wanted to become better friends. Who knew. Sora sure didn't.

"Nope," Riku answered. "Only thing I do is for my church. My mom forces me to. Funny, though. I faithfully follow the church and yet they shun me because of my sexual interests."

Sora frowned and said nothing.

"Society is so fucked up," Riku muttered dejectedly. "I pray, I believe, and yet people continue to nag and poke fun at me because I don't find any part of the female body appealing. Apparently I'm a sinner."

"I'm sorry…" Sora whispered. The brunette's family didn't attend church. His parents weren't all that religious. They just believed in whatever they chose to. Free to believe what ever they desired.

"Eh, it's okay, I suppose," Riku sighed loudly. "I got used to it. Anyhow, how about you? Anyone shun you?"

"Uh…" Sora blushed and stared downward. "M…my parents don't know."

Riku's eyes widened briefly before he shook his head. He should have been expecting that one. "Ah. Most parents don't. Any particular reason you haven't told them? Or are they the kind that will think you're fucked up in the head?"

"I… just don't want to tell them," Sora answered shyly, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't want them to worry or something stupid like that."

"Uh-huh…" Riku trailed off, understanding a bit. "I suppose I can understand that?"

Sora's eyes caught sight of a drawing in the far corner of the booth. "What's that?"

"Oh," Riku said with a smile as his gaze wandered back over to his sketchbook. The silver-haired male proudly snagged it and hid it under the counter. Sora frowned and Riku chuckled. "Sorry, I don't like people looking at my art. Naminé's the artist. My art pales in comparison to hers."

"Ah, I see, sorry," Sora said quickly.

"It's fine."

A moment of awkward silence as their eyes met. Sora hesitantly felt the bill burning a hole in his jacket. Awkwardly, Sora pulled it out, slapped it down on the counter, then looked away, cheeks a bright red. _Please don't be mad. Please don't be mad! Don't yell at me!_

"Geez, Sora. You're my savoir," Riku commented.

When Sora looked back he saw a grateful look on Riku's face. "Huh?… Oh. Right." Sora nodded, realizing that he was probably the only person paying. He didn't understand why, though. Riku was devilishly handsome and charming. Perhaps no one was into kissing a stranger nowadays. Even if it was for a good cause.

Before Sora had time to dwell on the thought Riku had tugged Sora by the chin close. Their lips met for the third time. Riku's refined lips lingered against Sora's, a wave of pleasure coursing through Sora. Tingles danced up and down his spine as he stood there, eyes wide. Riku pulled away, absentmindedly licking at his lips.

"Thanks, Sora," Riku said in a gentle voice as he put the bill in the box.

"Y-y-your welcome," Sora said in a stammer. "I…I gotta go." And once again Sora was off with that. Riku's eyebrows knitted together as he watched Sora scamper off like an embarrassed pre-teen. A chuckle slipped Riku's lips as he leaned back, for the second day in a row, in his chair.

His fingers reached up to touch his lips. "He tastes sweet…"

_**X x x**_

On the last day of the carnival Sora had created a wondrous plan. He plotted that he would wander up to Riku's booth and ask if they could be friends after this. And hen he'd slip the five to the other. Yeah, that'd _surely_ work. Sora blushed at the thought of kissing Riku again. The brunette gleefully made his way towards the booth, his cheeks already scorching a red. If _anyone_ figured out that he was blowing his allowance on getting _kisses_ he would surely be the slave of embarrassment.

"Sora," Riku said with a brilliant smile when he noticed the boy nearing. "Thank god you're here," Riku stated dramatically, leaning his chin into the palm of his hands.

Sora blinked in surprise as his blood turned to fire. Riku was thankful he was here! Riku, his crush, was thankful he was here! Sora giggled to himself as he leaned against the counter as he had done the days prior. "Bored?" Sora guessed.

"Very," Riku agreed and then poked the cashbox. "Surprisingly I got some money today." Sora felt a tinge of jealously tear at his heat. "My friend, Tifa, felt bad for me so she gave me a ten. She said she only needed a kiss on the cheek. Fancy that."

The jealousy settled. "That's good, I suppose."

"Yeah," Riku answered with a swift nod. His silver bangs fell in front of his eyes as he watched Sora curiously. "Have you gone on any of the rides yet?"

"Nah, I'm not into rides," Sora replied with a shrug.

"Ah. I'm obsessive. But I'm stuck doing this job so I don't have a chance to go on any of them," Riku groaned in resentment.

"That sucks." Sora crossed his arms and smiled faintly. "Hey..um… Riku…"

"Yeah?" Riku's eyes were trained on the Ferris Wheel. Only when Sora spoke his name did the silver-haired male pass his glance over to Sora. Emerald hues stared at the flustered brunette. "Something wrong, Sora?"

"Canwebefriends?" Sora asked in a slur, eyes widening from shock that he had just asked that.

Riku blinked. And blinked again. "I thought we were friends?…" Riku trailed off, arching an eyebrow, uncertain if he should be flattered or offended.

"Oh…" Sora blushed and looked to the ground. "I… didn't know if you considered me one. I'm sorry." How embarrassing.

"You apologize a lot," Riku noted in amusement, a smirk appearing on his lips. God did Sora love that smirk. It was so handsome and gwagh! He had serious crushing issues. Sora always had this problem.

"Heh, I know."

"I like your eyes," Riku commented, cocking his head to the side.

"Thanks," Sora stammered as his cheeks flared.

"I know, cliché thing to say," Riku laughed and tossed his hair over his shoulder.

Sora just then wished he had a drool bucket. Hormones were a bother sometimes. "Not at all," Sora argued with that timid smile displayed on his childish features.

"You must be pretty bored to spend all your time talking to me," Riku commented.

"You must be pretty bored to actually be talking to someone you just met," Sora retorted with a childish giggle. Riku stuck his tongue out at him and rolled his eyes. Sora continued to laugh and then said stupidly, "and you must be even _more_ bored to sit here all day."

"That made no sense."

"…It did in my head," Sora mumbled in embarrassment. Boredom as a result of sitting here. Not the other way around. Stupid, stupid Sora. He needed to think out his responses more often. The brunette began to fiddle with the zipper of his jacket distractedly.

"I'm surprised you don't come to these sort of things with your friends," Riku said with surprise.

"..er… they sort of ditch me a lot. Kairi goes off with her boyfriend and Selphie usually goes shopping. I don't like shopping or being a third wheel so," Sora trailed off, anxiously looking up to meet Riku's gaze.

"Ah, I get it," Riku said with a brief nod. "Well, my friends are no better. If they were, they'd be here. But then again, here you are."

"Heh… That I am."

A moment of silence. Sora cautiously took the final bill from his pocket. With a bit of uncertainty he put it down and sheepishly looked down to his feet. He must look _so_ pathetic in Riku's eyes. Cheeks scorched with heat as he awaited some sort of reaction from Riku. A yelling or a snort of laughter would do. Anything but a glare. Sora wasn't good with dating and crushing … in actuality. Just good at the things that didn't involve actual communication.

Riku's lips pulled him out of his daze. Lips clashed against Sora's lightly, making the brunette feel dizzy. Blood involuntarily rushed through his body. How could one kiss even be considered arousing? Sora leaned into the touch, loving how Riku lingered there for a few seconds. The silver-haired teen pulled back, blinking at Sora.

"I'll see you around?" Riku suggested.

"Y-yes," Sora said and then proceeded to scamper off, as he usually did. Sora figured he'd hang around the fair until it ended. It _was_ the last night and he figured he had nothing else better to do. The brunette honestly doubted that he'd ever see Riku again. But those four kisses. He cherished them. The teenager could still feel Riku's lips on his own. God, it felt so good to kiss someone.

_**x x x**_

Sora turned his back when the fireworks ended. They were gorgeous. The blues and the pinks and the yellows and the greens all in the dark sky. Even though he could see no stars, they were simply stunning. Sora began to leave the fair grounds with a bright smile. Fireworks always brought the timid brunette happiness. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps because his parents had always brought him to such things when he was little? Ah, it must be.

Sora had already said his good-bye to Selphie who he had stumbled into an hour ago. Now he just followed the street towards the exit. The brunette was surprised that most of the crowd had already left. The deserted, dark, fair grounds were a bit depressing. Another chapter, another summer. That's all that these three days were.

"Twenty dollars," Sora mumbled. "I spent twenty dollars on _kisses_." He was unbelievable.

"Was it well spent?"

Sora nearly lunged ten feet in the air. Which would be a considerably large amount considering that Sora was only five foot five. The brunette casually looked to his right to see his new friend staring at him. "Riku…you scared me. I thought everyone was gone already," Sora whispered.

"Ah, they are," Riku explained with a shrug. "I had to hand the cashbox in."

"Oh," Sora laughed nervously. "Of course."

"You never answered my question. Was it well spent?" The silver-haired male asked, pacing over to Sora's side. The male's silver hair seemed to glow in the moonlight and the darkness. Sora felt his body tense and his palms go sweaty.

"I…uh…"

"It went to a good cause," Riku pointed out, kicking a spare rock away. "Naminé was surprised I made anything. Then Axel started making fun of me because he saw you constantly over there. But I punched him."

"Oh…" Sora looked nervous. Correction : he was as nervous as he could possibly be.

"You really didn't have to come everyday," Riku said with a shrug, glancing to his right to peer at Sora.

"…I wanted to," Sora answered quickly with a smile. "I like talking to you." _And the kisses. Especially the kisses. God, you're so good at that._

"Yes, talking," Riku echoed and then paused. "You know, you always ran off every time we kissed. You didn't give me enough time to remember to give you my number." Riku then proceeded to snag Sora's hand. With his free one, Riku pulled out a pen from his jacket. The silver-haired male then wrote his number on the back of Sora's hand in black ink. "There. Call whenever."

Sora blushed and gulped.

"And you barely gave me enough time to tell you that you're adorable," Riku breathed in a soothing voice.

"I…" Sora glanced to the side.

"And you certainly didn't give me enough time to ask if I could kiss you for free," Riku stated nonchalantly.

Riku gave no time for Sora to answer. Within seconds Riku had Sora pinned against the nearest wall. The silver-haired male's lips descended against the brunette's. Small, stunned lips were passionately meshed against refined and hungry ones. A squeak slipped from Sora as he felt his back firmly pressed against the cold wall. Riku's hands were around his waist, holding him tight to his firm chest. And Riku's scent filled Sora.

"Wanna try dating?" Riku asked against Sora's lips, lips continuously meshing. Seconds later Riku had begun nipping and tugging at Sora's bottom lip, starving for the electric feeling Sora was giving him.

"Y-y-yes," Sora stammered. His speaking was an easy way for Riku to plunge his tongue into Sora's mouth. The brunette's knees nearly buckled from the contact. Riku's cinnamon tasting tongue coaxing his own into play. Sora cautiously did such, and soon was dragged into another realm of pleasure. Another realm of kissing.

Moments later air became an issue. Riku reluctantly pulled away and stared at the ravished brunette. "Call me later, _boyfriend_." Riku gave Sora a wink, one last chaste kiss, and then interlaced their fingers, leading Sora out of the fairgrounds.

"Twenty dollars well spent, indeed…" Sora whispered to himself, knowing full well his lips would appear bruised for quite some time.


	9. heartattack

In honor of the maroon five concert I am going to divulge myself in this Friday, I decided to write a oneshot using two of my favorite songs of theres. Not my favorite two... because they wouldn't fit with my idea. Anyhow, kudos if you know which two they are. It's pretty obvious. Any how, rock on maroon five, I love you so much. Enjoy this oneshot?

* * *

**Heartattack**

Riku wasn't sure whether it was the shattering of the glass on the ground or the curses Sora threw his way that snapped him back into reality. Riku wasn't sure whether it was the tears or the glares that got to him the most. The silver haired male stared from behind a fringe of silver at the brunet who was stumbling throughout the apartment, haphazardly collecting his things. Evident despair and torpor was apparent in the way Sora moved, but he tried his best to cover it up. The tears were the only thing that caught Riku's attention. The tears and the angry words that Sora kept repeating over and _over_, the mantra never ceasing.

"Sora," Riku said desperately. The silveret latched onto his boyfriend's arm, halting the brunet's actions. Blue eyes instantly met horrified aquamarine ones. Silence reigned supreme, just for that moment. Neither said anything as the darkness of the night swept through their apartment, reflecting on the broken shards of glass beneath them,

"Please, stay," Riku begged, his voice hoarse and his body shaking. And it was such an oddity to see Riku in such a state. If Sora wasn't as enraged as he was, he probably would have taken time to mentally note this. But right now all that Sora wanted was to get _out_.

Sora didn't listen to Riku's plea and wrenched his arm out of Riku's grasp. With tears streaming from his usually jubilant eyes, Sora continued packing. His whole body shivered as he made his way throughout the apartment, Riku never once leaving the brunet's side.

And then Sora left. Left before he had the chance to say the words that would mend the things that were broken. Riku winced as the front door was slammed, leaving him in a breathless stun. Sora was always so _happy_. So _beautiful_. How could one lie ruin _all_ of this?

The silver haired male, who was no older than nineteen, threw his fist into the tan wall on his right, almost breaking it. Frustrated tears fell from sea-green hues moment later. And all the male did was keep repeating his love's name under his breath. Over and _over_, never once ceasing. But now it was too late, he was gone. He left. _Sora_ left.

The glass lined the living room having once belonged to a vase full of red roses. Roses that were supposed to eternally symbolize their_ love_. How could Riku have been so blind? How could he have been so naïve and inconsiderate?

The teen leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Why hadn't he been more observant? Why hadn't he asked why Sora cried himself to sleep _every_ night for the past _week_? Was he subconsciously aware of it? Riku felt like he was going to be _sick_.

Riku _loved_ Sora. He just had a messed up way of showing it. He'd shower Sora with endless arrays of affection, only to turn around and break the poor brunet. It was only a few times… he swore it. He only cheated on Sora _once_. And he was _drunk_. That wasn't necessarily an excuse but… Riku smacked his head against the wall. How could he have been wooed by _someone else_? How could he have betrayed the most important person in his entire _world_? How did Sora _find_ out?

Riku, fury in his eyes, grabbed his keys and stormed out of the apartment. Not to do harm, but to mend. He _had_ to find Sora before there was nothing left to fix. Determination flashed in the silveret's eyes as he hastily left the apartment complex and entered the cold, dark streets. Riku bellowed his lost love's name into the frigid air only to be unanswered. A strangled whimper fell from the usually _suave_ male's lips as he pocketed his keys and raced down the sidewalk, determined to find Sora. It _couldn't_ end tonight. He just need _one more chance_.

If he got one more chance, he'd make everything right. He'd make Sora realize how much he loved him and how little all the others meant to him. Sora was the universe. Sora was the sun. Scratch that. Sora was just _everything._

He wouldn't be able to make it through the night without Sora. Sora. The boy he had loved for four years. His boyfriend of three years. He wouldn't let his misguided behavior ruin that. Things just _couldn't_ end like this. It seemed… illogical. Riku wouldn't go home without Sora.

The taste of Sora's breath. It sent chills down Riku's spine. It haunted him as he ran, desperately trying to find his boyfriend. He wanted to cling to whatever hope there was left. Any love that remained. He'd never get over what Sora _did_ to his mind. Sora made him crazy. Sora made him feel invincible, but more importantly loved. How could he throw all that away for someone who could care _less_ about him? How could all these lies crush their relationship?

Riku finally spotted the mob of brown hair in the distance. Sora was standing against the rail, staring out at the small port. Sora had always said that the port was so romantic at night. And now, Riku had to agree. Small lights lined both of the shores making the water glow. It was majestic. It was _breathtaking_.

"Sora!" Riku hollered breathlessly, making his way over to the brunet.

Sora looked to his right, staring at his boyfriend with confusion. "You followed me?…" Sora asked quietly, the only other sound being the soft splashing of the waves on the shores behind them.

Riku sank in a huge amount of hair, his hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Aquamarine eyes then snapped up. "Sora… please, don't go. Please don't… I love you," he rambled.

"Riku… I've heard all of this before," Sora replied stubbornly. The brunet looked away painfully, unable to stare at Riku any longer. "Please just… leave me alone. Please. I can't deal with this anymore."

"Sora!" Riku shouted. The male grabbed Sora's wrists this time, wrapping his hands tightly around them. "I love you. I'm not letting you go. Don't…"

"How can you say that to me?!" Sora hollered, tears clouding his blue eyes. "How can you _cheat_ on me and claim that you love me?!"

Riku winced, knowing that what Sora said was the truth. "Sora, you don't understand-"

"You don't love me!" Sora spat back, shaking his head. "My life has been miserable, Riku! All you've done is lie to me and cheat on me and I can't stand it. I love you and it's killing me!"

Silence swarmed between the pair. Before either had any time to say anything, Riku pressed his lips forcefully onto Sora's, as if hoping that everything could be mended with that one kiss. "I won't go home without you, Sora," Riku murmured, his hands tangling in the brown locks. The hair that he adored. The hair that he dreamt about. It just made Sora _…Sora_.

"No," Sora argued though he did nothing to break the kiss.

"Please," Riku begged. And he never _begged_.

"You hurt me," Sora whispered, his lips continuously being meshed with his boyfriend's. Riku was persistent, Sora knew that first hand. Shivers flew up and down Sora's back as he stood there in Riku's hold. "You hurt me," Sora repeated in a pathetic sob against the taller's lips.

"I know," Riku replied.

"Why?" Sora begged, his body and mind aching for the truth. His heart remained ensnarled in Riku's grasp while his mind wanted to just _leave_.

"Because I'm selfish," Riku admitted. The male nipped at Sora's lips, hoping that he could bring Sora back home. He'd do anything. Anything to bring Sora back with him and make him his again. "Because I'm selfish and I don't appreciate anything. But god Sora, I love you."

"If you love me…" Sora began, returning the kiss. Riku eagerly returned in, intending to deep it and retrace the caverns of Sora's mouth that he knew so well. The silver haired male's body pressed acceptingly against Sora's, a wave of warmth covering him from the simple friction doing such produced.

"…then you'll let me go," Sora finished, pulling away from Riku's grasps.

Riku froze, suddenly realizing what the last powerful kiss was. A kiss _goodbye_. Aquamarine eyes matched blue ones and both fell silent.

"Sora…" Riku whispered nervously, outstretching his right arm to latch onto Sora, but Sora pulled away. "Please… don't."

"I love you," Sora whispered, giving Riku's the sweetest goodbye he had ever received. He was saying goodbye and just flying away. Sora noticed the tear in Riku's eye and sighed. "Maybe… someday…" he said incoherently and turned his back to Riku. And he just left like that.

And with every step that Sora took away from it, it brought Riku closer to heart attack.

When Sora came back, Riku had something to say. That is if he could make it through the night without his brunet angel.


	10. addiction

_I was talking to a few people on msn and aim and I kept stating that I really wanted to write a stripper sora oneshot so er... that's what I did. It's limeish. But it's not all that bad. It's short but amusing. Enjoy._

* * *

a**ddiction**

It was the same routine every night. At precisely eleven twenty two (pm, of course), college student Riku Karada would casually saunter his way into the same old bar (that doubled as a strip-joint, mind you), make his way to that front row seat, shamelessly, and eagerly await the show. Now, of course, all those slutty females did nothing for the silveret. Nothing whatsoever. The only thing he liked about them was their short performances- the bar usually kept the male strippers out longer, basically due to the fact that most of their customers _were_ males. _Gay_ males.

Riku would order up a green apple martini, wince from how sour it was, and then take a seat. His drink in hand, he would patiently (but on the inside he was _dying_ from anticipation) await his _favorite_ stripper. The one with the cinnamon hair, glossy lips, and piercing blue eyes. The one that he had somehow managed to convince to come over to _his_ seat every night and personally speak to him. Well, not really speak, more like grunt. Oh, and in pleasure, too.

Riku casually pushed his hair behind his ears as he allowed the base of the erotic music to fill his soul. Now, mind you, Riku wasn't a whore. He didn't make out with every single easy person he came across. Not one bit. The male had morals and he _respected_ the daringly _sexy_ strippers here. Well, mostly just the cinnamon-haired one. He was a cutie and was so timidly shy, but managed to hide that so well. Years of practice? Perhaps.

Regardless, Riku took a long sip from his drink, wincing, as usual. Why did he even drink? He didn't really like it. And if he ever _did_ get lucky, why would he want to be drunk? He _definitely_ didn't want to be drunk when pounding that lithe boy into the- Okay, now he was getting sidetracked.

Riku leaned his pale chin into the cup of his hands. He never saw any of the other college students here. Usually drunken old men or daring teenagers that were barely out of high school. Low-lives. Riku only came here for that _beautiful_ brunet who had captured his mind and tangled it into a vinery mess. Maybe it was the tanned legs that the brunet stripper shamelessly displayed. Or maybe it was the playful winks he would always toss out- usually in his directions. Or maybe it was the skimpy clothing that he wore … even before he began to remove it.

Alas, Riku digressed.

Riku sighed and glanced down at his wrist-watch rather fractiously. Riku had _completely_ ignored the females that were prancing about the stage, clinging to poles like stray cats climbing up a tree. It was disgusting, truly.

Riku lifted his gaze when he realized that the cat-calls had been silenced. And the music momentarily stopped. Aquamarine eyes stared at the old blue curtain, watching it ripple occasionally. His heart sped up as his palms became a bit sweaty. Before he could even breathe, that _angel_ stepped out. A tight black skirt-like bottom clung to the brunet's legs while his top was covered by a thin, black, almost-see through shirt. But not entirely. No, even a stripper had morals.

Riku absentmindedly licked his lips. Yeah, when he first started coming here he felt a bit bad. A bit dirty, even. You could even go to a stretch to say that he kept himself from becoming turned on… But now was different. He was so used to this that it didn't seem all that bad or dangerous anymore. Now all it was was _damn _pleasing.

The brunet pranced about the stage, his backside wiggling as he danced about. Blue eyes, that were masked by black-eyeliner, stared teasingly at Riku. It was a few moments before the odd skirt like thing came off, revealing short black shorts. Dear lord. Those should be _illegal._ They were far too tight, too short, and too restricting. And even the brunet stripper - Sora - could hear the gasp that emitted from the silveret's lips.

"You're back?" the brunet purred, gracefully jumping off the stage (it wasn't that tall) and down in front of Riku. His eyes twinkled at the silveret as he tugged absently at his shirt, finding it a bit too restricting at this moment. "I didn't expect you to come back," Sora hummed as he leaned closer, a smirk playing on his glossy lips.

"You look good tonight," commented Riku, his heart racing as he stared at the essence of seduction. And to think that someone as submissive as the brunet could be so damn provocative.

"Really? Thank you," the brunet purred and easily climbed into the silver haired male's lap. It was rare that he allowed so close contact, but he trusted this man for reasons unknown. "You're wearing new cologne," Sora murmured as he buried his nose into the crone of Riku's neck, jerking his hips the slightest against Riku's.

A rush of arousal sparked through Sora's body that was akin to the wave that came through Riku's. "Like it?" Riku wondered, his hand wandering along the barely clothed planes upon the brunet's back.

"Mm… smells nice," Sora replied and licked at the silveret's neck, his arms tightly weaving around the taller's neck. "You always smell good," Sora went on to say, nipping at a single pale column upon Riku's neck. This produced an especially guttural moan from the silver haired male beneath him.

"What's with… the special treatment?" Riku wondered, arching his neck back. His lips parted in a pleased manner, allowing an airy moan to fall from them as he bucked his hips the slightest against Sora's. Oh the delicious friction …. Riku moaned and dug his fingertips into Sora's back.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sora questioned in a purr, his breath hitching due to Riku's actions. Oh yes, they both were teases. They should be shot for that. "You get turned on really fast," Sora made known as he trailed a line of feverish kisses up Riku's neck, leading to the older's jaw.

"Well yeah, when you're practically-" Sora's hips rolled against his and it took everything Riku had not to pin the stripper down against the floor, "-grinding against me-" Sora bit at his neck this time, "-trying to send me over the-" Sora compressed his body flush up against Riku's, "-edge," Riku's last word was more of a breathless murmur of desire.

"Money?" Sora asked cutely, his body achingly pressing against the other's.

"Money…" Riku repeated a bit shamefully as he arched into Sora's touch, loving the feelings he got from doing such. His hands wandered down to Sora's butt, squeezing the area firmly. "Pocket," he explained in a moan as Sora licked at his earlobe.

Sora nodded and paused his kisses to glimpse at the money that he had just retrieved. A hundred? How endearing. "What's with this?" Sora questioned, raising the money to the other's lust-filled, aquamarine hues. Riku blinked at it and grabbed Sora's wrist, curling his fingers around it at once.

"What do _you_ think?" Riku demanded, feeling the brunet's pulse quickening under his wrist.

"I… don't know," Sora murmured shyly and looked away. "What if-" he began cautiously and then was silenced when lips pressed up against his cheek, turning his body ablaze. "Riku…" Sora whispered sensually, melting into the silveret's touch. God. He never got tired of this customer and his endearing personality.

"Take the money," Riku instructed Sora, absently watching as Sora pocketed the money, "and lets go," Riku cooed into Sora's ear, tugging on the earlobe with growing desperation.

"I'll…get fired," Sora warned, mewling wantonly into the other's touches. They felt so _damn_ good. Why should he deny it? "Fired and… then I won't have… money and…"

"Shush," Riku groaned into Sora's ear. "You were the one to give me a lap dance," Riku breathed huskily into the brunet's ear, licking the shell. His hands roamed along Sora's back, sneaking up the shirt and onto the firey skin. His fingers massaged the tense planes, making Sora yelp in sudden pleasure.

"…back room," Sora groaned, not really pleased with the turn of events.

"Lead me," Riku told Sora, his lips trailing down the stripper's neck and to his exposed collarbone, giving it a swift suck. His tongue traveled along it, sending the brunet into a mantra of needy pants and mews and downright _moans_.

Sora sighed as he shuffled off Riku's lap and weakly stood on his legs. Shyly, Sora extended his hand and gestured for Riku to take it. Once the silveret had done such, Sora lead him through the mob of dancing people down the hallway to the small changing room that was currently available. Available for things that really weren't supposed to be done in a strip-joint. Stupid Riku.

Sora cautiously closed the door and locked it behind them, staring down at the ground. "Uhm…Riku?" Sora whispered uncertainly, swaying nervously back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Oh come on, Sora," Riku breathed and wrapped his arms around the brunet's middle. "No one's going to find us and I've had a hard week in college. I mean, I'm wasting all my nights coming here to see you perform."

Sora hmphed and looked away from Riku. "You make me sound like a burden."

"Oh Sora, you're not," Riku cooed and licked Sora's ear again, making the brunet tremble in his grasps. "Besides, I like seeing you dance. Especially for me," he whispered and trailed his hands lovingly down Sora's sides, keeping the stripper close.

"Riku," Sora mumbled and leaned forward, capturing the other's lips in his own. "I want to quit this so badly. It's boring and all I get out of this is teasing you. And a lot of creepy guys winking at me." Sora frowned into the kiss and hugged Riku closer.

"Then find another job, you're the one that wanted to do this in the first place," Riku explained and licked Sora's cheek. "You can just give me private shows, eh?"

"I only did this because I wanted to tease you," Sora complained and then reached up to kiss Riku's lips again. "And all we ever do is makeout and yeah! It's not even fun anymore! I'd rather kiss you wi- mrphm!" Sora instantly shut up when Riku bruised their lips together again, pressing his body firmly up against Riku's.

"You did good tonight," Riku purred into the kiss, moaning at the close contact. "Do you think anyone's figured out that you're my boyfriend yet?"

"Not a soul," Sora hummed cheerfully against his boyfriend's lips.


	11. teardrops

* * *

**011**

_**T**_eardrops

* * *

Not even Riku Karada, Sora's best friend, knew that Sora liked to sing. No one knew that Sora, in fact, loved country and all those mushy, heartbreaking songs. Sora kept it to himself. The brunet would rather worship the music and sing in the privacy of himself. Sometimes the songs would be perky, but mostly they were gorgeously constructed ballads that demonstrated the true potential of the heart—how dangerous it can be to another's.

The funny part was that every time the sixteen year old brunet would sing, it would always be about a certain silver-haired boy that he couldn't keep off his mind. When Sora sang, he completely forgot how _flirtatious_ and _cruel_ his best friend could be. Of course, the silveret would never intentionally flirt with him—it was always with beautiful looking girls that giggled and blushed when he said something smooth to them. It was never, 'you look beautiful today, Sora.' It was always, 'you're blushing'. Or perhaps, 'someone's all dreamy looking today. What's the occasion?'

Sora did not blame Riku, though. It was not Riku's fault that Sora was not gorgeous or dream inducing. It also was not Riku's fault that Sora had fallen quite hard over the boy. Sora kept it all to himself because really, who would want to ruin a friendship with someone as _dreamy_ as Riku? Just being Riku's friend and being near him was enough. It had always been enough… for five years.

Sora never showed signs of enamor or depression. Sora was _always_ optimistic. Only times when he sang, did he realize how badly his heart was aching. He tried to suppress the hurt—really, he did. Yet, the only relief he could find it, to make the metaphoric pain ease, was to sing about just how _badly_ he adored his best friend.

Sora was currently in his basement—it was a finished basement and sported two couches, a television, a large table, carpet, and a karaoke machine that no one in Sora's household knew was still used. Only Sora used it. Not even his older sister used the thing.

The brunet rested his thin hip against the machine and gently untangled the microphone. A small blush danced onto Sora's cheek as he ran his nimble fingers along the black cord. What would it feel like to be a real singer? To have others listen to your heartfelt confessions? Sora sighed to himself as he flicked the button on the microphone to the 'on' position.

Drearily, Sora turned the entire machine on and dismally clicked the play button and then to track number three. Today he felt particularly in the mood for this song. Why? Just because it would ease the hurt.

His mother and sister wouldn't be home until four—he had two hours to sing his little heart out in the privacy of his basement, and damn did it feel good.

The familiar chords of a acoustic guitar began to sound. The voice was cut out from the track, however, allowing Sora to fill it in. The lyrics scrolled across the TV but Sora ignored it. Instead of reading them off, Sora closed his eyes and began to quietly sing.

"He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see. That I want and I'm needing everything that we should be. I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about. And she's got everything that I have to live without. He talks to me, I laugh cause it's so funny, that I can't even see anyone when he's with me, he says he's so in love, he's finally got it right, I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night…" Sora waited for the next verse as an inadvertent tear slipped from his closed cerulean eyes.

"He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar. The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star. He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do. He walks by me, can he tell that I can't breathe? And there he goes, so perfectly, the kind of flawless I wish I could be, She'd better hold him tight, give him all her love. Look in those beautiful eyes and know she's lucky cause…" Sora gripped the microphone tighter as he swayed a bit on the balls of his feet.

It hurt. Love hurt so much and he forced himself to hide it. Sora choked on his words as he forced himself to continue the song, regardless of how awkward it felt to have tears dribbling down his tanned cheek. Life was so damn unfair.

"So I drive home alone, as I turn out the light. 'll put his picture down and maybe , get some sleep tonight… He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar, the only one who's got enough of me to break my heart, he's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do, he's the time taken up, but there's never enough, And he's all that I need to fall into.."

Sora began shaking violently and forced himself to grit his teeth and force the last words out, "He looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see…"

Sora shivered and dropped the microphone onto the ground, his breathing escalating. "I…love you so damn…much, Riku," he whimpered painfully, feeling every single chamber of his heart ache.

Best friends till the end, right? How Sora wished it was _more_. How he wished to have one _chance_ with the god-like boy. How he wished for five years of _yearning_ to actually be worth something in the _end_.

Sora choked on his sobs when he felt a cool hand slip around his wrist. And then a second hand curled around his other wrist. The brunet tensed violently in the stranger's hold, feeling his heartbeat increase as he kept his eyes closed, too afraid that whoever was here would see his tears—even though it was quite obvious from his tear-soaked cheeks.

His sister was going to laugh at him. His mother was going to ask when he started liking Riku. Which was worse?... Sora didn't know.

"Sora," came the beautifully spoken word as fingers reassuringly squeezed his wrist. "Babe…I …didn't know," whispered the calming voice that could send anyone into a frenzy of emotions.

Sora didn't answer. When he didn't, a petal-like kiss slid onto his salty lips, making him tense and then relax. The brunet shivered a bit, his hands shaking wildly in the other boy's grasps. A strangled sob slipped between his lips as he pressed back into the kiss. "Please…please don't tease me."

The kiss ended as quick as it came. "Why would I tease you?"

Sora jerked his head to the right, refusing the second kiss. "Because you don't _love_ me, you jerk… And now you just… heard all of that and I really don't want to be ridiculed by you, thank you." And he was only yelling because for some reason he thought it'd feel better.

"Sora…why do you think I'd do something like that?" asked Riku, his dexterous fingers keeping their grip tight around Sora's skinny wrists.

"Because you're just like every other guy, Riku! You don't care that someone loves you! You just care if you like them back!" Sora snapped and felt the tears falling again. "And…if you think for one minute that I'm…gonna… that I'm gonna let you use me, you're wrong. I love you too much to be used by you and tossed around…" Sora didn't even know _why_ he was talking anymore.

"Sora, please, calm down," urged the silveret, hearing the same song beginning again. And for some reason it calmed Sora down, as he had wanted.

"Why can't you like me?" the brunet wondered, trembling all the while.

"Because," Riku stated sternly, holding Sora's wrists with everything that flirtatious boy had. "I can't like you because I try my best to hide that I love you."

Sora felt like throwing up at the first statement and then fainting at the second. So he did something in between…he collapsed against Riku's chest, sobbing painfully as he clutched at Riku's shirt. "Please tell me you mean that. God, please do," Sora whimpered, his heart breaking a thousand times over from embarrassment and hurt.

"I do," Riku stated quietly. "I do love…I just…"

There was always a 'just' or a 'but'. "But what?" Sora guessed, gripping Riku tightly.

"…I can't."

Sora's heart felt like it had splattered on the floor. "…Why?"

"Because I can't love you anymore, Sora. I can't, I'm sorry… It just…wouldn't work out…" A roundabout way of saying that he cared about his reputation more then he did about Sora and his words were half lies.

"…I see," Sora whispered dejectedly, feeling like throwing up once more. "So that kiss was out of pity, huh?"

Riku tensed. "Don't…"

"I get it Riku," Sora lamentated as he pulled away, staring off to the right. "I get it. I really do. Just… go home, okay? I'll see you tomorrow in Chemistry," Sora mumbled as he took the incentive and exited the basement, holding back the urge to fling himself back at Riku and grovel for his love.

And Riku would forever be the reason for Sora's constant heartbreak…

And the sad thing was…

Sora would always allow it.


End file.
